UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


GIFT  OF 

ROBERT  HUNTER 


TIMELY  TRUTHS 
ON  HUMAN  HEALTH 


BY 

SIMON  LOUIS  KATZOFF,  Ph.D.,  M.D., 
Ph.G.,  T.L.B.,  A.M. 


CO-OPERATIVE  PUBLISHING  CO.,  INC. 

BRIDGEPORT,  CONN. 


COPYHIGHT,  NOVEMBER,  1921,  BY 
DR.  SIMON  LOUIS  KATZOFF 


77 


4 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

DEDICATION          ix 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE xi 

INTRODUCTION xvii 

en 

PART  FIRST 

o       BAD  HABITS        ...  3 


Habits  that  do  not  improve  health — Personal  habits 
— Social  habits — Habits  of  character. 

TIGHT  LACING — A  MENACE  TO  HEALTH     . 

<5  Destroyer    of    woman's    health — Man's    idea    of   a 

"well  dressed"  woman. 


PATENT   MEDICINES 10 

The  spring  tonic  craze — Running  to  the  drug  store 
habit 

TEA  AND  COFFEE 15 

Tea — Coffee — An  abused  medicine. 


£5    ALCOHOLISM        20 

Acute  alcoholism — Chronic  alcoholism — A  few  in- 
structive sayings — What  science  has  to  say — Sayings 
from  literature — The  song  of  the  rye  (poem) — 
What  life  insurance  reveals — Drinkers  and  ab- 
stainers compared — The  economic  side. 

"SMOKING  CHIMNEYS"  OR  THE  TOBACCO  HABIT       29 

A  nasty  habit — Millions  wasted  annually — A  poor 
man's  luxury — "Moderation"  in  smoking — The 
physiology  and  chemistry  of  "skunk  weed" — How 
tobacco  gets  into  the  body — The  effect  of  pyridine 


258291 


IT  CONTENTS 

FAO* 

—The  deadly  cigarette  (poem)— The  WUy  Weed, 
(poem) — What  tobacco  can  do — Why — A  few 
prominent  men  who  do  not  smoke. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN'S  HEALTH  RULES      .      .        38 

Rules  of  health  and  long  life,  and  to  preserve  from 
malignant  fevers  and  sickness  in  general — Rules  to 
find  out  a  fit  measure  of  meat  and  drink — Philo- 
sophical sayings  and  precepts. 

FOOD  ADULTERATIONS 42 

Food  philosophy — History  of  food  adulteration — 
Food  adulteration  "at  home" — A  few  chemicals 
employed  in  adulterating  food — Meats — Extracts 
from  the  daily  press — Principal  adulterations  of 
mixed  and  potted  meats — Fish — Marketing  of  fish 
and  cold  storage — Sardines — Vegetarianism — Eggs, 
fresh  and  otherwise — Milk  and  pasteurization — 
Butter — Oleomargarine — Jams,  jellies,  and  pre- 
serves— Canned  vegetables — Canned  fruits — Fruits 
— Artificial  coloring — Sugar — Concluding  remarks. 

FASTING 65 

Fasting — Starvation — Inanition. 

BATHING  AND  SWIMMING 69 

Cold,  tepid  and  hot  baths — A  Turkish  bath — A  sea 
bath  or  sea  bathing — Swimming. 

EXERCISE  AND  DANCING 73 

Exercise — Dancing. 

SLEEP   AND    SLEEPLESSNESS 76 

Natural  measures  for  sleeplessness — Amount  of 
sleep  needed. 

How  TO  INCREASE  WEIGHT 81 

Good  digestion — Sleep — Meals — Drinks — Exercise — 
Summary. 

OVERWEIGHT  AND  ITS  REDUCTION          ...        83 

Life  insurance  company  tables — Estimated  average 
weight — Reduction  of  weight — Food  allowed — Foods 
to  be  avoided — Exercise— Sleep. 


CONTENTS  T 

PAGE 

INFANT  AND  CHILD  WELFARE          ....        89 

Pre-natal  influence — Emergency  service  at  birth — 
Feeding  of  infants — Mixed  feeding — Artificial  feed- 
ing— Feeding  notes — "Don'ts"  for  baby — Weaning 
—Weight— The  teeth— Sleep — Forbidden  foods- 
Entering  school — Puberty. 

INFLUENZA — ITS     CAUSE,     PREVENTION     AND 

TREATMENT 101 

"Spanish"  influenza — Name  and  history — Fear — Is 
it  a  germ  disease? — Wearing  a  mask — Wearing 
camphor  on  chest  as  a  preventive — Whiskey  as  a 
preventive — Spitting,  coughing  and  sneezing — Clos- 
ing schools — This  "new"  serum  business— Causes 
of  influenza — General  health  principles  that  apply 
— Immediate  natural  measures. 

TUBERCULOSIS — ITS  CAUSES  AND  PREVENTION     109 

Causes — Are  germs  a  factor? — Treatment — Air — 
Exercise — Diet — Bathing. 

HEADACHES — THEIR  CAUSES,  TREATMENT  AND 

MISTREATMENT 115 

Causes — Harmful  remedies — Natural  remedies  for 
headaches — Alcohol,  bad  air,  hunger,  eye  strain, 
syphilis,  menstruation,  fatigue,  nasal  growths, 
sexual  debauchery,  worry  and  anger:  their  relation- 
ship to  headaches. 

KlDNEY-CIDE  AND   BRIGHT*S  DISEASE       .        .         .        122 

General  considerations — Animal  chemistry — Bright's 
disease — Causes — Prevention — Diet. 

DRUG  ADDICTS  OR  "DOPE"  FIENDS        .      .      .      127 

Extent  of  use — How  to  solve  the  problem — Drug 
adulterations — The  economic  aspect. 

SANE  OR  INSANE? 131 

The  Connecticut  State  report — George  Bernard 
Shaw's  opinion — Prof.  Ernest  Haeckel's  opinion — 
Statistics — Unquestionable  facts — Causes  of  in- 
sanity. 


vi  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

SYPHILIS — ITS  ABNORMAL  FEAR  AND  PREVEN- 
TION    137 

General  causes — The  treacherous  nature  of  syphilis 
— The  Wassermann  test — Treatment — "606" — The 
abnormal  fear  of  syphilis. 

VENEREAL  DISEASE,   PROSTITUTION  AND   VICE 

PREVENTION 144 

Sexuality  or  hunger — Horrors  of  venereal  disease 
— Publication  No.  147 — Prostitution — Interesting 
statements — Masturbation — Prevention  and  mitiga- 
tion— modesty  (a  poem) — Summary. 

INDUSTRIAL  DISEASES 160 

Evolution  of  industry — Environment  of  the  worker 
— Views  held  by  Dr.  Maurice  Korshet — Chronic 
fatigue — Agencies  destructive  to  health — Industrial 
skin  lesions — Women  and  industry — Child  Labor — 
Possible  remedies. 

KNIFELESS    TREATMENT    OF    PILES    (HEMOR- 
RHOIDS)     170 

Causes — Symptoms — Treatment. 

ABUSES  OF   SURGERY 173 

Progress  of  legitimate  surgery — Interesting  quota- 
tions— Abuse  of  Anesthesia — Wrong  diagnosis — 
Most  surgeons  not  dishonest — Asexing  women — 
Organ  substitution — Tonsils  and  adenoids — Appen- 
dicitis craze. 

HOSPITAL  ABUSES 186 

Architecture  —  Growth  —  Financial  investment  — 
Abusing  patients — Ear  records — The  bill — Exploit- 
ing the  nurse — Experimentation — The  "free"  ward 
— The  "free"  clinic — The  food  issue — Medical  poli- 
tics must  be  eliminated. 

THE  DOCTOR  AND  THE  PUBLIC        ....      200 

Does  the  public  get  the  most  benefit  possible  from 
the  doctor  to-day? — The  three  medical  schools  in 
the    United   States — The   allopath    school    and   the 
"A.  M.  A." — Differences   in    the   allopathic,   homeo- 


CONTENTS  vii 

PAGE 

pathic  and  eclectic  schools  of  medicine — Medical  ex- 
amining boards  and  reciprocities — Internal  warfare 
— Schools  versus  examining  boards — Inefficiency  and 
hardships  of  examining  boards — Technical  versus 
practical  examinations — The  college  itself — Real 
education  versus  engraved  pieces  of  papers — The 
progressive  and  tolerant  school — Teaching  and  the 
teacher — The  doctor  of  the  future. 

ETHICS  AND  THE  DOCTOR 219 

Ethics  or  moral  philosophy — The  physician's  call- 
ing should  be  above  commercialism — Jealousy 
among  doctors — Old  time  regulations — Medical  so- 
cieties— Practical  queries — The  commission  practice 
— As  to  advertising — The  doctor's  position — The 
public  responsibility. 

HAIR  AND  ITS  CARE 228 

Baldness — Causes — Dandruff — Washing  the  hair — 
Disease  affects  the  hair — Other  dangers — Tight  hats 
— Carelessness  of  barbers — Mental  exertion. 

Music — AN  AID  TO  HEALTH 234 

Ability  to  appreciate  music — The  "movies"  and 
common  airs — Physiological  effects  of  music — A  few 
illustrations — Singing — Music  in  Sanatoriums  and 
hospitals — Music  while  traveling — Player  piano  to 
be  built  in  every  modern  house — "Medicine"  through 
ears  and  nerves. 

EMERGENCIES  AND  THE  EMERGENCY  CHEST      .      241 

Wounds — Sprains  and  bruises — Burns  and  scalds — 
Fainting — Foreign  bodies  in  the  eyes,  nose,  ear  and 
throat — A  black  eye — Bleeding  of  the  nose — Infan- 
tile convulsions — The  emergency  chest. 

PRINCIPAL    POISONS    AND    THEIR    IMMEDIATE 

ANTIDOTES 248 

What  to  do  first — Immediate  antidotes. 

How  TO  LIVE  TO  A  RIPE  OLD  AGE          .      .       .      254 

Past  and  present  modes  of  living  compared — Early 
symptoms— Chemical  and  physical  causes  of  old 
age — Foods  producing  deposits — Foods — Distilled 
water — Summary  of  rules. 


riii  CONTENTS 

PART  SECOND 
HEALTH  SYMPOSIUM 

PAOX 

Do  GERMS  CAUSE  DISEASE?    ....  265 

Dr.  A.  H.  Kaplan,  Affirmative     .      .      .  266 

Dr.  J.  W.  Hodge,  Negative      ....  273 

Author's  Comments 280 

THE  VIVISECTION  PROBLEM     ....  283 

Dr.  F.  A.  Tondorf,  Affirmative      ...  284 

Dr.  Joseph  D.  Harrigan,  Negative      .      .  292 

Dr.  S.  Dana  Hubbard,  Affirmative      .      .  299 

Mrs.  Diana  Belais,  Negative      ....  306 

Author's  Comments 313 

Where  You  May  Get  More  Information      .  322 

THE  VACCINATION  PROBLEM  ....  324 

Dr.  F.  E.  Stewart  and  Dr.  W.  F.  Elgin, 

Affirmative 326 

Charles  M.  Higgins,  Negative      .  .      .      .  335 

Author's  Comments 344 

Where  You  May  Get  More  Information     .  353 

THE  BIRTH  CONTROL  PROBLEM  .     .     .  356 

Dr.   Mary   Scharlieb,   Negative      .      .      .  358 

Mrs.  Margaret  Sanger,  Affirmative      .      .  365 

Dr.  Louis  I.  Dublin,  Negative     .      .      .  373 

Dr.  S.  Adolphus  Knopf,  Affirmative     .      .  381 

Author's  Comments  388 


DEDICATION 

To  the  victims,  past  and  present,  rich  and  poor, 
of  adulterated  food,  patent  medicines,  compulsory 
vaccination,  abuse  of  surgery,  booze-guzzling,  indus- 
trial diseases,  autocracy  of  dress,  false  modesty,  sex 
ignorance,  and  conventional  hypocrisy ;  to  those,  who 
never  had  a  real  opportunity  to  learn  the  truth, 
being  kept  in  ignorance  and  stupidity  through  the 
vicarious  and  popular  channels  of  misinformation; 
to  those,  whose  nerves,  muscles,  bones,  marrow,  and 
blood  have  been  converted  into  dollars  and  cents 
under  the  iron  heel  of  commercial  greed,  in  the  name 
of  health,  science,  and  benevolence;  to  those,  whose 
inner  and  better  selves  remain  crushed  and  stifled 
as  a  result  of  monotonous,  loveless  lives,  tyrannical 
and  fanatic  parents,  and  uninspiring  surroundings  in 
general ;  to  the  patient  "sons  of  toil,"  who  constantly 
undermine  their  health  and  risk  their  lives,  making 
it  possible  for  us  to  appreciate  art,  music,  literature, 
culture,  and  invention  that  the  genius  of  human  brain 
has  brought  forth,  yet  have  for  themselves  little  in 
return,  save  fatigue,  malnutrition,  soul-starvation, 
anxiety,  fear,  filth  and  premature  death ;  to  all  these 
victims  of  our  seething,  restless,  debauching,  arti- 
ficial, and  health-wrecking  era,  impudently  labeled 
"civilized,"  I  affectionately  and  hopefully  dedicate 
this  book. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

Who  will  dispute  the  assertion  that  we  are  living 
in  an  age  when  ignorance,  superstition,  dis-ease,  in- 
tolerance, hypocrisy,  and  cowardice  still  form 
potent  members  of  our  social  anatomy? 

Few  to-day  dare  openly  express  their  honest  con- 
victions after  having  made  an  unbiased,  rational 
study  of  any  subject  of  real,  human  importance. 
They  still  cling  (outwardly,  of  course)  to  dogmas 
and  relics  of  the  dark  ages  (we  are  living  in  an 
enlightened  age,  do  not  forget) — when  at  heart  and 
mentally  they  have  severed  relationship  with  them, 
and  hold  that  Truth  should  be  as  universal  as  sun- 
light. Why  does  this  inconsistency  prevail?  For 
no  other  reasons  than  that  these  persons  fear  the 
"bread  and  butter"  problem  and  the  iron  heel  of 
Convention.  Yet,  I  purpose  to  express  myself  can- 
didly and  earnestly  on  the  most  essential  health 
issues,  scrupulously  striving  to  avoid  any  exaggera- 
tions, and  trusting  to  the  intelligence  of  the  readers 
for  their  approbation. 

Despite  the  fact  that  we  have  in  "civilized"  society 
such  respected  and  influential  members  as  Messrs. 
Envy,  Prejudice  and  Intolerance,  the  human  race  has 
managed  to  make  substantial  progress  in  certain 
directions ;  what  is  more,  millions  of  mortals  are  be- 
ginning to  actually  wake  from  their  centuries  of 
mental  inertia  and  chronic  "sleeping  sickness." 

3d 


rii  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

To  those  who  may  be  doubtful  as  to  the  actual  in- 
fluence of  the  aforementioned  trinity — Messrs.  Envy, 
Prejudice  and  Intolerance,  I  should  suggest  their 
writing  a  few  articles  worth  reading  or  saying  some- 
thing (on  the  lecture  platform)  worth  listening  to, 
and  they  will  soon  be  convinced  that  these  human 
relics  of  pre-historic  eras,  are,  as  yet,  far  from  being 
relegated  to  remote  antiquity  or  stored  away  in  the 
dusty  attic  of  oblivion.  They  will,  instead,  soon  real- 
ize that  the  bitter  cup  of  hemlock  that  the  great 
philosopher,  Socrates,  was  forced  to  drink,  as  a  "re- 
ward" for  his  wwpopular  but  very  natural  ideas,  is 
still  full  (although  not  quite  to  the  brim,  as  then) 
even  unto  this  very  late  day. 

Let  any  progressive  physician  differ  on  funda- 
mental issues  which  the  majority  still  seem  to  hold 
to  (outwardly,  at  least),  or  let  him  constructively 
criticize  some  abuses  in  the  profession, — let  him  (or 
her)  try  it,  and  no  matter  how  honest,  formerly  ad- 
mired, intellectual,  prominent  and  successful  he  may 
have  been,  his  chances  of  ever  becoming  president  in 
any  of  the  medical  societies  he  may  belong  to  becomes 
nil.  Physicians  will  cease  to  send  patients  to  him  if 
he  does  special  work;  nor  will  they  become  over- 
zealous  to  consult  him.  Physicians  on  hospital  staffs 
will  sometimes  look  up  at  him  as  if  to  say:  "I  cer- 
tainly agree  with  you,  but  how  dare  you  express 
yourself  freely?"  Others,  still,  may  not  hesitate  to 
belittle  his  views — and  even  him,  personally, — behind 
his  back,  of  course,  and  later,  shake  hands  with  him 
"heartily,"  smile  and  chat  in  an  ultra-friendly  tone, 
upon  meeting.  Most  doctors  who  blazed  the  way 
for  medical  freedom  and  health  knowledge  will  tell 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE  xiii 

you  practically  the  same  story  (and  a  good  deal 
more)  if  you  are  their  personal  friends  and  "talk 
shop"  with  them  in  the  dining  room  or  on  the  ver- 
anda. Just  try  it. 

Should  we  condemn  the  aforementioned  undemo- 
cratic, inconsistent  or  hypocritical  fellows  in  the 
profession?  Should  we  even  blame  them?  No! 
Psychoanalysis  reveals  that  many  of  them  are  living 
loveless  and  uninteresting  lives;  hence  their  sup- 
pressed, repressed  and  depressed  emotions — their 
inner  and  better  selves  (including  the  spirit  of  toler- 
ance and  fraternalism)  remain  stagnant  and  un- 
moved. There  is  not  a  more  convenient  way  to  give 
vent  to  this  subconscious  irritation  than  to  burst 
forth,  like  lava,  from  the  crater  of  a  burning  volcano, 
at  the  least  provocation;  or  "whisper  it  out"  of  his 
system,  in  some  form,  against  a  brother  physician, 
with  whom  he  may  differ  on  some  issue;  to  whom  he 
may  owe  a  "ten  spot";  or  because  he  dared  teach 
openly  something  of  importance  to  the  "common 
laity,"  who  are  supposed  to  know  little  and  be  sub- 
missive. 

For  all  of  these,  my  brothers  in  the  profession,  I 
have  good-will  and  sympathy.  What  I  am  against 
is  not  the  individual,  but  the  unscientific,  inefficient, 
haphazard,  systemless  system — a  social  condition 
(like  a  cancer  in  the  body)  that  makes  victims  of 
the  physicians  themselves,  as  well  as  their  patients 
and  the  people  in  general.  It  is  a  system  that  pre- 
vents the  patient  from  getting  the  best  that  scien- 
tific knowledge  can  offer;  a  system  that  cares  little 
about  prevention  of  human  illness  and  promoting 
human  happiness ;  a  system  that  makes  the  doctor  a 


xiv  AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

loser  (financially)  if  he  tells  his  patient  all  the  truth; 
&  system  where  the  three  distinct  schools  of  medicine 
in  the  profession  continually  fight  each  other ;  a  sys- 
tem that  permits  the  existence  of  about  fifty  different 
Medical  Examining  Boards,  holding  meetings  at 
fifty  different  times  with  reciprocities  that  are 
usually  conflicting,  confusing  and  unjust,  when  one 
National  Examining  Board,  with  equal  representa- 
tion from  all  schools  of  medicine  (if  a  Board  should 
be  had  at  all)  would  be  sufficient.  (Read  chapters: 
The  Doctor  and  the  Public ;  Ethics  and  the  Doctor ; 
Hospital  Abuses;  and  Abuses  of  Surgery.) 

The  fact  that  there  are  many  thousands  of  read- 
ers who  will,  owing  to  their  own  experience  and  un- 
derstanding, recognize,  almost  immediately,  some  of 
their  secret  sentiments  in  the  timely  truths  ex- 
pounded in  this  book,  and  the  fact  that  millions  of 
betrayed  and  suffering  humanity,  gasping  under  the 
lash  of  poverty,  fear  and  sex  ignorance,  are  sadly 
in  need  of  the  information  herein  given,  gives  the 
author  courage  to  present  it. 

"Timely  Truths  on  Human  Health"  is  a  faithful 
presentation  of  facts  and  crystallized  views  on  es- 
sential, human  health  issues  and  topics  of  our  time 
(including  corroborative  and  interesting  quotations 
from  reliable  sources),  accumulated  by  years  of  ob- 
servation, reflection  and  comparative  reasoning,  in 
the  study  and  actual  practice  of  medicine  and  sur- 
gery. It  teaches  prevention  of  dis-ease  and  cultivates 
self-reliance  during  impending  illness.  Further,  it 
exposes  some  of  the  abuses  and  superstitions  that 
still  exist  in  the  practice  of  medicine  as  a  re- 
sult of  ignorance,  indifference,  incompetence,  and 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE  rv 

crass  commercialism  of  both  doctors  and  patients. 

It  is  written  in  simple  language  and  with  no  in- 
tention of  flattery,  camouflage,  or  employing  niceties 
of  expression  to  veneer  the  realities  of  health-prob- 
lems. It  tells  truths  irrespective  of  whose  "corns 
may  be  stepped  upon."  In  a  word,  it  is  "Twentieth 
Century"  information,  for  truth-seeking,  truth- 
loving,  and  truth-following  persons. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  book  will  be  of  constructive 
and  helpful  service  to  many  persons  in  the  form  of 
a  gentle  reminder  on  how  to  live  simply  and  natu- 
rally as  an  aid  to  health  and  longevity — a  sort  of 
health-reminder.  If  only  the  life  of  one  human  being 
be  saved  by  the  knowledge  gained  through  this 
volume,  the  effort  and  energy  expended  in  producing 
it  will  not  have  been  in  vain.  If  it  will  prevent  a  few 
needless  surgical  operations  on  human  beings 
(largely  overdone  these  days)  ;  if  it  will  only  prevent 
a  few  thousands  from  being  experimented  upon;  if 
it  will  convey  what  medical  ethics  are — and  what 
they  are  not;  how  the  restless,  seething  mass  of 
people  are  being  fed  on  adulterated  food,  and  the 
like,  it  will  have  been  worth  while,  despite  the  fact 
that  its  motives  may  be  misconstrued,  statements 
misrepresented,  and  its  natural  suggestions  for 
future  improvements  ridiculed.  The  greatest  com- 
pensation that  one  can  ever  hope  to  receive  in  pro- 
ducing something  of  human  value,  something  that 
tends  to  alleviate  human  suffering,  is  the  realization 
that  one  has  done  his  very  best.  Every  other  com- 
pensation is  insignificant  in  comparison. 

And  last,  the  only  persons  who  do  not  make  mis- 
takes (or  errors)  are  dead  people.  Living  persons 


ivi  AUTHOR'S  PKEJb'ACE 

make  mistakes.  The  author  is  only  human.  Any 
suggestions  or  corrections  offered  by  any  one  will 
be  accepted  in  the  kindest  of  spirit  with  acknowl- 
edgment and  thanks,  for  the  author  is  glad  and  ready 
to  learn  from  other  people's  experiences  and  studies 
as  well  as  his  own.  If  we  are  ever  to  become  angry, 
it  will  be  with  an  idea,  but  never  with  the  fellow  who 
happens  to  possess  the  idea.  He  may  be  no  more 
responsible  for  possessing  his  particular  view  than 
he  is  for  having  a  long  nose  or  red  hair.  He  may  be 
a  wonderfully  good  fellow  in  spite  of  his  views.  In 
fact,  we  love  those  who  differ  with  us,  and  even  those 
who  may  enjoy  criticizing  us  harshly  as  much  as 
those  who  heartily  agree  with  us.  Only  through  an 
honest  and  tolerant  "thought  exchange"  can  we  ever 
hope  to  achieve  a  maximum  of  health,  love,  good-will 
and  happiness  for  all  humanity. 

SIMON  Louis  KATZOFF, 

1001  State  Street, 

Bridgeport,  Conn. 


INTRODUCTION 

So  highly  did  the  author  of  this  book  value  the 
ability,  and  esteem  the  character,  of  my  dear  hus- 
band, that  great  and  good  physician,  philosopher, 
and  friend,  Frederick  Wallace  Abbott,  Ph.D.,  M.D., 
LL.D.,  late  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  who  on  June  19, 
1919,  laid  down  the  life  which  he  had  lived  so  master- 
fully and  admirably,  that  he  had  chosen  him  of  all 
his  associates  to  write  its  Introduction.  Dr.  Katzoff 
did  this,  knowing  full  well  that  the  master  mind 
would  do  full  justice  to  the  theme  of  the  book,  and, 
indeed,  the  theme  of  Dr.  Abbott's  own  life,  as  it 
were — the  timely  expounding  of  truth.  This  is 
shown  in  one  of  his  favorite,  oft-repeated  quotations : 

"Unawed  by  numbers,  follow  reason's  plan, 
Assert  the  rights,  or  quit  the  name  of  man; 
Consider  well,  weigh  wisely  right  from  wrong, 
Resolve   not   rashly — once   resolved,   be  strong. 
In  spite  of  dullness,  and  in  spite  of  wit, 
If  to  thyself  thou  canst  thyself  acquit, 
Stand  steadfast,  though  alone,  in  conscious  pride, 
Rather  than  err  with  millions  by  thy  side." 

Now,  when  Death's  hurried  call  has  precluded  the 
execution  of  the  original  plan,  the  author  has  ex- 
pressed his  sincere  wish  that  the  one  who  was  most 
intimately  associated  with  Dr.  Abbott,  as  wife  and 
co-practitioner,  should  write  the  Introduction. 

The  Doctor,  as  we  used  to  call  him  at  home,  was 

deeply  interested  in  Dr.  Katzoff,  for  he  recognized 

xvii 


iviii  INTRODUCTION 

in  him  many  of  the  characteristics  which  so  distin- 
guished his  own  life.  His  love  of  clear,  logical  argu- 
mentation, at  once  helpful  and  elevating,  his  appre- 
ciation of  true  friendship,  and,  above  all,  his  con- 
stant endeavor  to  wage  the  war  of  Truth,  found 
pleasing  parallels  in  Dr.  Katzoff's  life.  It  would  be 
out  of  place  here  to  treat  exhaustively  the  many 
bases  of  common  interest  which  drew  the  two  "sol- 
diers of  peace"  together. 

Dr.  Abbott,  in  his  rare  grasp  of  things  human, 
used  to  say  that  most  of  the  trouble  in  this  world 
is  caused  by  one  of  two  conditions:  ignorance,  or 
cowardice,  both  of  which,  many  will  agree  with  me, 
hold  far  too  much  sway  nowadays.  It  is  through 
the  endeavor  of  a  brilliant,  efficient,  honest,  up-to- 
date  physician  to  neutralize,  or,  at  least,  to  decrease 
those  potent  influences  for  evil,  that  "Timely  Truths 
on  Human  Health"  has  been  given  to  the  public. 
And  it  is  the  author's  not  inconsiderable  desire  to 
elevate  his  own  profession,  placing  it  on  a  high  plane 
of  practical  idealism,  far  above  superstition,  graft, 
and  hypocrisy. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  testify  in  this  foreword  to 
the  merits  of  Dr.  Katzoff's  book.  The  first  word  in 
the  title,  to  my  mind,  is  especially  well-chosen,  for 
there  is,  certainly,  a  real  need  to-day  for  the  dif- 
fusion of  knowledge  regarding  the  principles  of  good 
health  and  how  to  put  them  into  practice.  "Timely 
Truths  on  Human  Health"  meets  this  need  in  excel- 
lent fashion  by  teaching  not  only  how  to  prevent 
disease,  but  also  how  to  cultivate  self-reliance,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  essential  principles  in  combating 
and  avoiding  illness. 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

Lastly,  it  is  a  book  rare  in  its  spirit  of  frankness. 
Sometimes,  in  our  modern,  French-heeled,  tight- 
laced,  camouflaged  civilization,  I  believe  there  has 
not  been  enough  of  "Brushing  .  .  .  the  bloom  of 
fancy  from  the  briar  of  fact." 

SYI/VTNA  APPHIA  ABBOTT,  Sc.D.,  M.D. 


PART  I 


BAD  HABITS 

A  habit  may  be  defined  as  a  tendency  toward  or 
the  aptitude  for  the  performance  of  a  certain  action. 
There  are,  of  course,  good  habits  as  well  as  bad 
habits.  In  the  race  for  supremacy,  the  bad  habits 
outnumber  and  outstrip  the  good  ones.  Strange,  we 
Always  notice  the  bad  habits  first.  I  mean  the  other 
fellow's  habits,  of  course.  In  fact,  the  bad  habits 
always  get  more  recognition,  sympathy,  and  atten- 
tion than  do  the  good  ones.  We  enjoy  them  more, 
it  seems. 

No  doubt  you  remember  seeing  children  sucking 
their  fingers — a  habit  that  could  have  been  pre- 
vented. You  have,  perhaps,  seen  the  stenographer 
or  bookkeeper  chewing  gum,  making  fancy  forms  of 
it  during  the  day  and  at  night  gently  sticking  it  on 
the  side  of  the  desk,  so  that  it  may  be  dusty  enough 
the  next  morning  for  another  day's  "chaw."  You 
need  not  laugh,  for  it  is  no  worse  than  the  habit 
of  chewing  a  cud,  I  mean,  chewing  tobacco  or  snuff 
all  day  and  becoming  an  "expert  expectorator"  with 
manifestations  of  such  ability  demonstrated  all  over 
the  helpless  cuspidors,  mats,  and  sidewalks. 

Did  you  ever  study  the  habitual  cigarette  smoker 
while  he  is  in  action?  He  smokes  his  "butt,"  not 
because  he  really  enjoys  it,  or  because  he  believes  it 
will  make  him  stronger,  or  increase  his  appetite,  or 
stimulate  his  thinking  capacity  to  greater  activity. 

He  does  it  merely  because  he  is  used  to  it.    It  is  the 

8 


4  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

habit !  The  little  coffin  nail  has  become  more  power- 
ful than  the  smoker  himself.  I  have  seen  them  get 
out  of  bed  to  take  another  good  "puff,"  like  the  dope 
fiend,  who  craves  his  "hypo,"  or  the  innocent,  loving 
babe,  who  cries  for  the  "bottle." 

HABITS  THAT  DO  NOT  IMPEOVE   HEALTH 

Breathing  through  the  mouth,  thus  causing  en- 
larged tonsils,  adenoids,  and  other  respiratory  dis- 
eases ; 

Eating  till  you  feel  too  lazy  to  get  up  from  the 
table; 

Sitting  in  cramped,  stooped  positions,  which  cause 
round  shoulders  and  deformed  spines ; 

"Ducking"  your  head  under  the  blanket,  while 
sleeping,  for  fear  you  may  inhale  some  fresh  air; 

Taking  a  morning  eye-opener  in  the  form  of  a 
"Scotch  Highball"; 

Taking  "drinks"  before  meals  as  appetizers ; 

Eating  pills  and  drinking  tonics  as  per  advertise- 
ments ; 

Wearing  tight  corsets  while  awake,  and  sometimes 
while  asleep; 

Wearing  camphor  on  the  chest,  garlic  in  the 
pocket,  and  masks  on  your  face  as  preventives  of 
influenza,  pneumonia,  or  something  similar. 

PERSONAL   HABITS 

Are  you  guilty  of: 

Using  "ammunition"  on  the  face — I  mean,  powder- 
ing it  and  smearing  it  with  harmful  coloring  matter? 

Biting  your  finger  nails,  as  though  you  had 
nothing  else  to  eat? 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  5 

Pulling  the  fingers  to  make  them  crack? 
Snoring  so  loudly  that  the  members  of  the  family 
wake  wondering  whether  some  one  is  sawing  wood? 
Being  unclean  in  body,  mind,  or  home? 

SOCIAL   HABITS 

Do  you: 

Blame  your  wife  or  partner  for  most  of  your  mis- 
takes? 

Dump  your  woes  on  others,  instead  of  being  inter- 
ested in  their  welfare? 

Apply  to  yourself  the  motto,  "To  err  is  human, 
to  forgive  divine,"  and  forget  to  apply  it  to  others? 

Mix  personal  issues  in  fraternal  matters? 

Spend  your  money  foolishly  and  let  your  dues 
get  behind? 

Raise  "points  of  order"  and  elect  yourself  as 
authority  on  parliamentary  law? 

Remember  previous  mistakes  and  remind  the  mem- 
bership of  forgotten  grievances  when  everything  is 
running  smoothly  at  the  meeting? 

Blackball  prospective  members  of  your  lodge,  be- 
cause of  some  petty  personal  affair? 

Stamp  your  feet  or  whistle  at  a  "movie"  when  the 
film  becomes  momentarily  disconnected? 

Send  flowers  to  the  dead,  instead  of  the  living? 

Hesitate  to  tell  the  truth  for  fear  it  may  achieve 
for  you  an  enemy? 

HABITS    OF    CHABACTEK 

Do  your  friends  smile  when  you: 
Talk  much,  but  sav  little? 


6  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Are  disturbed  at  trifles,  or  insignificant  daily  inci- 
dents? 

Do  not  govern  your  own  tongue,  but  try  to  con- 
trol theirs? 

Do  only  what  you  want  to  do,  and  find  excuses 
for  not  doing  other  tasks? 

Are  too  serious,  when  to  be  sincere  would  be  suffi- 
cient? 

Make  promises,  instead  of  making  good? 

Always  talk  of  your  own  ability  instead  of  seeing 
some  in  others? 

Class  men  as  "successful"  merely  because  of 
money? 

Say,  "There's  no  use  talking,"  and  then  keep  on 
talking? 

Kiss  your  wife  mechanically  before  meals  and  at 
night,  as  if  it  were  a  dose  of  medicine? 

Leave  your  wife  at  home,  while  you  go  to  the 
"show,"  a  ball  game,  or  to  an  opera? 

When,  oh,  when,  will  people  learn  that  the  natural 
and  simple  is  the  correct  and  beautiful,  and  that 
sooner  or  later  we  must  pay  a  dear  price  for  our 
slavish  and  gluttonous  indulgence  in  bad  habits? 


TIGHT  LACING— A  MENACE  TO  HEALTH 

A  great  destroyer  of  women's  health,  natural 
beauty,  and  life  itself  is  a  certain  apparatus,  or 
harness-like  contraption,  commonly  known  as  "the 
corset."  Tight  dressing  will  aid  materially  in  hasten- 
ing headaches,  giddiness,  jaundice,  cancer  of  the 
breast,  coughing,  abscess  of  the  lungs,  consumption, 
diseases  of  the  womb,  palpitation  of  the  heart,  indi- 
gestion and  other  abnormalities.  Furthermore,  the 
birth  of  deformed  and  unhealthy  children,  a  large 
number  of  whom  die  during  the  first  and  second  year 
of  infant  life,  is  due  in  a  measure  to  tight  dressing. 

Just  accuse  a  woman  of  wearing  tight  dresses,  and 
she  will,  as  a  rule,  indignantly  deny  that  she  does. 
She  will  inform  you  rather  that  she  is  "comfortable." 
She  pleads  further,  "I  must  have  a  support."  She 
has  dressed  tightly  for  so  long  a  time  that  she  has 
almost  paralyzed  certain  muscles  of  her  body,  which 
in  consequence  of  their  enforced  contraction  caused 
by  the  corset  now  refuse  to  perform  their  natural 
and  original  function — that  of  supporting.  Then 
it  is  that  she  has  to  continue  a  substitute  (an  arti- 
ficial support),  in  the  form  of  linen,  cotton  and 
whalebones. 

Miss  Annette  Kellerman,  in  recent  interviews, 
urged  the  abolishment  of  the  corset  and  pleads  for 
sane  dressing:  "If  women  but  understood  and 

obeyed   the   laws   of   nature,   their   ailments   would 

7 


8  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

rapidly  disappear.  There  are,  of  course,  many 
other  factors  that  cause  women  to  be  invalids,  but 
errors  in  dress  play  an  important  role.  The  gar- 
ments should  be  worn  so  that  no  part  of  the  body 
will  have  undue  pressure  exerted  upon  it  and  thereby 
interfere  with  the  proper  circulation  of  the  blood. 
The  savage  tribes  seem  to  be  more  civilized  in  this 
respect  than  we  are." 

Should  women  be  blamed  for  this  outrageous  style 
imposed  upon  them?  It  is  no  direct  or  primary  fault 
of  theirs.  It  was  conceived  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  knew  that  women  desired  to  be  beautiful — and 
therefore  the  corset  was  put  on  the  market.  As 
long  as  there  is  profit  in  it  (be  it  harmful  or  harm- 
less) it  will  be  sold.  Worse  than  all,  it  is  being  sold 
— in  the  name  of  health  and  beauty. 

Why  not  realize  that  man's  idea  of  a  well-dressed 
woman  is  responsible  to  a  great  extent  for  woman's 
dressing  as  peacock-like  and  harmful  to  health  as 
she  does?  If  men  had  a  more  wholesome  conception 
of  dress  and  encouraged  it  we  would  probably  have 
it.  When  women  observe  that  the  average  "man" 
pays  more  attention  to  the  tight-laced,  high-heeled, 
low-necked,  V-backed,  short-skirted  woman,  they  cer- 
tainly are  encouraged  to  dress  as  nearly  as  possible 
that  way. 

And  why  should  women  wear  skirts  at  all?  They 
are  often  uncomfortable,  unsanitary  and  vulgarly 
suggestive.  What  they  should  wear  is  modified 
pantaloons. 

Edward  Earle  Purinton  well  writes  in  "The  Corset 
in  Court,"  which  appeared  in  Naturopath  Maga- 
zine (New  York,  N.  Y.)  :  "Men  have  not  learned  to 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  9 

look  first  for  the  mother  in  a  woman,  cherishing  that 
as  the  fundament  of  her  nature.  For  men  do  not 
know  that  only  the  born  mother  makes  the  glorious 
sweetheart.  Motherhood  demands  a  generous  waist 
for  the  accomplishing  of  its  purpose;  and  the  man 
you  can  trust  is  the  man  who  sees  his  sweetheart 
first  as  the  predestined  mother  of  his  child.  How 
few  right-minded  men  there  are;  almost  as  few  as 
there  are  the  right-bodied  women.  And  the  physical 
pain  that  resides  in  a  corset  gives  many  a  woman 
a  strange  thrill  of  joy  that  no  man  could  ever 
understand  without  the  actual  feeling.  You  need  not 
make  fun,  Mister  Man,  you  with  the  padded  shoul- 
ders, creased  and  cuffed  trousers,  slit  coat-tail,  and 
slavishly  brimmed  hat.  The  very  best  of  us  semi- 
civilized  Indians  cannot  be  altogether  happy  unless 
our  blanket  is  a  bit  the  reddest  or  our  beads  un- 
doubtedly the  brightest." 

As  long  as  woman  will  imagine  that  the  corset 
gives  her  a  "better  shape,"  and  as  long  as  man  will 
be  attracted  by  the  "better-shaped"  woman  there  can 
be  no  hope  of  corsetless  and  comfortable  styles. 

When  will  grown  human  beings  appreciate  the 
simple  and  natural  as  the  proper  and  beautiful,  and 
cease  converting  their  bodies  into  hatracks  and 
clotheslines  ? 


PATENT  MEDICINES 

Among  the  common,  fraudulent  methods  of  ex- 
ploitation to-day  may  be  mentioned  the  patent  medi- 
cine game.  Patent  medicines  have  placed  many  a 
person  on  the  operating  table;  have  produced  weak 
hearts,  weak  stomachs,  and  weak  kidneys;  in  fact, 
have  dug  many  an  untimely  grave.  Patent  medi- 
cines have  helped  materially  to  keep  us  doctors  busy. 
Still  the  people  keep  on  taking  all  kinds  of  patent 
medicines  and  keep  on  being  sick,  also. 

Now  let  me  say  right  from  the  outset:  I  do  not 
believe  that  every  patent  medicine  is  bad  or  harmful. 
There  are  a  number  of  patent  medicines  on  the 
market  that  are,  in  themselves,  harmless.  I  may 
even  say  further,  that  some  of  them  are  no  more 
harmful,  perhaps,  than  some  ordinary  prescribed 
medicines,  which  sometimes  are  adulterated,  substi- 
tuted or  needless. 

The  trouble  is  that  the  "virtues"  of  the  medicines 
are  terribly  exaggerated.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
good  for  about  forty  different  ailments,  from  "the 
pip"  and  bunions  to  scarlet  fever,  cancer,  and  tuber- 
culosis. 

If  the  patent  medicine  manufacturers  would,  along 
with  advertising  their  medicines,  teach  the  people 
how  to  live  properly,  and  how  to  prevent  being  sick, 
and  how  not  to  need  this  same  medicine  later,  they 

would  at  least  do  some  good.     Instead  of  teaching 

10 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  11 

the  people  self-reliance  and  clean,  natural,  simple 
living,  for  maintenance  of  health,  they  teach  them 
to  depend  exclusively  upon  the  bottle,  capsule,  or 
pill  for  health,  strength  and  life.  What  a  farce! 
What  a  commercial  outrage!  "Timely  Truths  on 
Human  Health"  teaches  the  people  not  to  depend 
for  health  on  a  capsule,  a  trip  to  Palm  Beach,  Venice 
or  Nova  Scotia,  nor  to  create  "a  Savior"  in  the 
form  of  a  pill,  but  to  seek  for  health  in  correct  meth- 
ods of  living.  In  other  words:  fresh  air,  sunshine, 
good  food,  clean  water,  exercise,  good  cheer  and 
interest  in  one's  work,  form  the  best  "capsule"  and 
"tonic"  for  efficiency,  health  and  longevity  and  are 
the  best  preventives  of  any  disease. 

We  are  a  race  of  "pill-swallowers"  and  "tonic- 
guzzlers" — and  that  is  the  very  thing  that  the  writer 
is  pointing  out  and  is  against.  By  living  properly — 
in  conformity  with  nature's  laws,  nobody  will  need 
medicines  at  any  time.  To-day,  if  one  is  really  sick, 
has  tried  simple  methods  himself  first,  such  as  rest, 
elimination,  cleansing  or  spraying  the  nostrils,  and 
sponging  the  body,  and  does  not  improve,  and  be- 
lieves that  he  needs  medicine,  by  all  means  let  him 
call  his  physician — and  call  whatever  kind  he  likes 
best  (homeopath,  eclectic  or  allopath).  If  medicines 
should  happen  to  be  indicated,  then  get  them  only 
on  the  advice  or  under  the  care  of  the  physician. 

This  modern  deception,  popularly  known  as  pat- 
ent medicines,  is  a  great  scheme  by  which  the  people 
are  beguiled,  duped,  and  deluded  out  of  their  hard- 
earned  dollars  and  cents.  It  is  heart-breaking  to 
notice  how  people  have  lost  their  self-reliance  to  the 
extent  that  they  are  depending  on  artificial  "tonics" 


12  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

and  "appetizers"  as  aids  to  digestion.  The  fact  that 
one  imagines  he  "needs  something"  for  his  digestion 
—or  indigestion,  rather — is  sufficient  proof  that 
something  is  wrong;  some  important  tissues  are  de- 
bilitated, injured,  or  overworked.  It  is  possible  that 
a  rest  for  his  overworked,  abused  stomach  and  in- 
testines is  all  that  is  needed.  However,  Mr.  Glutton 
says:  "Oh,  no!  I  must  continue  to  eat,  no  matter 
if  I  burst,"  and  therefore  resorts  to  a  stimulant, 
tonic  or  digestive  agent  which  whips  his  system  into 
submission  for  a  while,  but  which  comes  back  at  him 
with  renewed  irritation  a  little  later.  It  would  be 
more  sane  to  find  out  the  cause  and  remove  it,  instead 
of  treating  the  effects. 

THE  SPRING  TOXIC   CEAZE 

A  "stylish"  way  of  getting  certain  medicines  be- 
fore the  public  is  to  teach  that  "you  need  a  Spring 
Tonic,"  just  as  "U-Need-A-Biscuit."  People  begin 
to  believe  they  need  a  spring  medicine  for  their  blood, 
stomach,  and  the  like,  when  in  reality  what  they  need 
to  do  is  to  change  their  winter  underwear  to  summer 
weight ;  to  begin  to  bathe  more  freely  and  to  eat  less 
heartily  and  more  carefully.  Many  a  twenty-five 
cent  piece  or  dollar  bill  has  gone  into  this  Spring 
Tonic  for  the  patent  medicine  manufacturers'  bank 
accounts,  when  it  could  have  been  utilized  by  the 
invalid  mother  and  other  members  of  the  family  for 
a  number  of  real  necessities.  But  remember  what 
Barnum  said:  "The  American  people  want  to  be 
humbugged." 

It  is  laughable  when  we  stop  to  think  of  this 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  13 

"Spring  Tonic"  idea.  Why  a  "spring"  tonic?  Why 
not  a  "fall"  tonic?  A  "winter"  tonic?  Are  the  peo- 
ple perfectly  normal  or  well  after  a  hot,  tiresome 
summer?  Do  they  not  overeat  in  the  summertime? 
Are  they  not  more  apt  to  neglect  exercise  and  to  eat 
excessive  sweets  and  candies  in  summertime?  Win- 
ter, it  seems,  would  be  the  ideal  time  for  a  "tonic," 
if  at  all. 

Then  again,  how  about  the  large  quantities  of 
alcohol  in  patent  medicines  as  "preservatives"? 
What  a  successful  way  of  evading  the  prohibition 
laws !  Is  there  any  wonder  that  our  insane  asylums 
are  overcrowded  and  the  undertakers  have  such  busy 
seasons? 

There  was  a  time  when  "those  who  knew"  thought 
that  an  iU  person  was  possessed  of  devils  or  spirits, 
and  they  used  to  blow  horns,  clash  cymbals,  yell, 
make  noise,  and  beat  drums,  and  sometimes  beat  the 
patient,  in  order  to  beat  the  devil  out  of  the  fellow; 
now  they  also  beat  the  devil  out  of  a  fellow  by  per- 
mitting him  to  dope  himself  with  any  kind  of  con- 
coction under  the  pretense  of  a  guaranteed  cure  for 
every  known  ailment. 

Another  bad  habit  the  public  got  into  is  the  "run- 
ning over  to  the  drug  store"  for  "a  little  of  this  and 
a  little  of  that."  For  example,  many  a  woman  will 
become  a  victim  of  aspirin,  which  weakens  the  heart 
when  taken  continuously;  others  will  call  for  a 
"bromo"  (bromo -seltzer),  and  still  others  for  a  few 
tablets  of  strychnine,  "when  they  think  it  is  neces- 
sary." Some  seem  to  talk  as  if  quinine  can  cure 
malaria,  the  itch,  mumps  and  infantile  paralysis. 


14  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Others  use  calomel  for  the  liver,  sores,  complexion 
and  summer  complaint.  And  so  it  goes,  in  the  name 
of  science,  health,  love  and  mercy ! 

It  is  needless  to  enumerate  the  popular  headache, 
cathartic  and  cough  remedies  that  flood  the  market 
to-day.  Those  who  take  these  are  strangely  more 
often  ill  than  well  and  a  constant  source  of  practice 
for  physicians  and  surgeons.  Enough  said. 


TEA  AND  COFFEE 

Everywhere,  it  seems,  seeds  of  intemperance  are 
being  sown,  and  aching  hearts  are  reaping  the  un- 
welcome harvest.  Intemperance  in  all  things  is  a 
terrible  pestilence  of  the  twentieth  century.  The 
dining  room  table  with  its  highly  seasoned  foods, 
flesh-meats,  fiery  relishes,  spices,  condiments,  tea, 
coffee  and  brandy  sauce,  only  stimulates  appetite 
and  passion,  causing  us  to  eat  for  gluttony,  and  pave 
the  way  for  untimely  graves.  This  gluttonous  exist- 
ence also  benumbs  the  finer  sensibilities  in  our  better 
selves.  We  aim  to  teach  "total  abstinence  from  that 
which  is  hurtful,  and  a  moderate  use  of  that  which 
is  good." 

TEA 

On  the  subject  of  "Tea,"  the  London  Lancet  says: 
"Tea  has  undoubtedly  its  victims,  as  well  as  alcohol. 
Alcohol,  of  course,  is  a  more  insidious  poison  than 
tea,  and  its  effects  are  more  drastic  and  perceptible. 
Nevertheless  tea  may  be  equally  stealthy  in  disturb- 
ing functional  equilibrium.  When  we  know  that 
tea  is  a  drug  not  a  food,  we  need  not  hesitate  to 
affirm  that  any  use  of  it  whatever  is  an  abuse  of  our 
system." 

The  next  time  you  notice  some  one  drinking  a 
cup  of  tea,  remember  that  the  following  are  the  chief 
chemical  constituents  of  two  typical  varieties  of  the 
plant : 

15 


16  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Black  Tea  Green  Tea 

Water 8.20  5.96 

Caffeine    3.24  2.33 

Alcoholic    Extract 6.79  7.05 

Tannic  Acid  16.40  27.1  -t 

Cellulose    34.00  25.90 

From— "School  of  Health" 

The  most  active  constituent  in  tea  is  an  alkaloid 
known  as  tannin,  which  makes  tea  have  astringent 
effects.  It  constipates  the  bowels  and  interferes  with 
normal  digestion.  Locally  tea  is  a  mild  hemostatic 
(agency  that  checks  bleeding)  and  a  useful  wash  for 
stubborn  ulcers,  etc.  That  being  the  case,  why  not 
employ  tea  for  external  rather  than  internal  pur- 
poses? 

The  caffeine  is  the  main  nerve  and  heart  stimulant. 
By  continued  use  it  loses  its  stimulating  effect  and 
depresses  the  digestive  functions. 

Tannin  is  the  least  desirable  of  the  constituents 
of  tea,  because  it  is  the  slowest  to  dissolve.  The 
quicker  an  infusion  of  tea  is  made,  the  more  fra- 
grance (such  as  is  termed  "fragrance")  and  less  bit- 
terness it  has;  the  more  slowly,  the  more  poisonous 
tannin.  Tea  should  never  be  boiled,  or  allowed  to 
stand  long  unless  the  tannin  is  wanted.  If  tea  is 
made  in  an  iron  vessel  or  in  a  tin  one  which  has 
begun  to  wear,  it  will  become  dark  from  the  forma- 
tion of  a  bitter  tannate  of  iron.  Then,  you  may  be 
drinking  metals  in  a  liquid  form.  You  may  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  the  commercial  value  of  tea 
does  not  depend  as  much  upon  its  ingredients  as  it 
does  upon  its  aroma.  The  teas  of  our  market 
are  nearly  always  "blends,"  by  mixing  several 
grades  together.  We  usually  buy  what  smells  good 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  17 

regardless  of  whether  it  is  the  best  or  not. 
According  to  recent  estimates,  the  world's  product 
of  tea  is  about  five  hundred  million  pounds  annually, 
valued  at  seventy-five  million  dollars.  For  tea,  cof- 
fee, and  cocoa,  the  world  spends  daily  nearly  a  mil- 
lion dollars.  Is  there  any  wonder  that  we  have  so 
much  excitement  and  irritability  among  most  people? 
No  wonder  there  is  so  much  misunderstanding  and 
prejudice  in  this  little  world  of  ours.  And  is  there 
any  wonder  that  heart  disturbances  are  becoming 
more  and  more  prevalent? 

COFFEE AN    ABUSED    MEDICINE 

Persia  seems  to  be  the  native  land  of  coffee. 
Thence  it  was  carried  into  Arabia,  where  it  was  first 
used,  not  as  a  beverage,  but  for  medicinal  purposes. 
Coffee  did  not  become  an  article  of  trade  until  the 
middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  was  used  so 
freely  in  Turkey  that  the  government  finally  forbade 
its  use,  but  being  unable  to  suppress  the  sale,  levied 
a  heavy  tax  upon  it.  The  Mohammedan  priests 
complained  that  the  mosques  were  neglected,  while 
the  coffee  houses  were  thronged. 

The  most  important  (and  harmful)  ingredient  in 
coffee  is  a  drug  known  as  caffeine.  It  occurs  in  com- 
bination with  caffeo-tannic  acid,  in  varying  propor- 
tions between  one-half  of  one  per  cent  and  two  and 
three-tenths  per  cent.  Besides  the  caffeo-tannic  acid, 
which  yields  from  four  to  five  per  cent,  we  find  other 
ingredients  in  coffee  such  as  fixed  oils,  from  fourteen 
to  twenty-two  per  cent,  dextrin  from  fourteen  to  six- 
teen per  cent,  some  albuminoid  matter  and  minute 
quantities  of  a  volatile  oil. 


18  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Ground  coffees  are  apt  to  be  adulterated  by  grains 
of  various  kinds.  What  is  not  adulterated  these 
days?  Unground  coffee  is  seldom  adulterated. 
Beans  and  chicory  roots  are  the  most  important 
adulterating  agencies  in  ground  coffee.  Most  sub- 
stitutes in  mixtures  of  coffee  change  their  color  when 
shaken  in  water. 

Coffee,  owing  to  its  constituent  caffeine,  is  a  nerve 
and  heart  stimulant  and,  as  John  Harvey  Kellogg, 
M.D.,  LL.D.,  Editor  of  Good  Health,  says :  "It  is, 
indeed,  one  of  our  most  dependable  drugs  for  rais- 
ing blood-pressure  in  cases  of  shock.  The  average 
coffee  drinker  is  probably  not  aware  of  the  fact  that 
in  drinking  an  ordinary  'good'  cup  of  coffee  he  is 
administering  to  himself  a  double  medicinal  dose  of 
caffeine,  as  an  ordinary  'good'  cup  of  coffee  contains 
four  grains  of  caffeine." 

Is  there  any  wonder  that  so  many  people  during 
middle  age,  when  they  should  be  enjoying  the  best 
of  health,  are  instead  bothered  with  high  blood- 
pressure,  due  in  part  to  drinking  large  quantities  of 
coffee?  The  excessive  use  of  coffee  produces  wake- 
fulness,  nervousness,  confusion,  incoherence  of 
thought;  also  palpitation  and  irregular  action  of 
the  heart,  and  various  digestive  disturbances. 
Blindness  and  disordered  vision  have  been  attributed 
to  the  indulgence  of  coffee. 

Coffee  and  tea  are  medicines,  and  not  foods.  They 
should  be  administered  or  prescribed  with  caution 
like  other  drugs.  One  patient  may  need  only  a  few 
teaspoonfuls  of  coffee  to  derive  the  desired  stimulat- 
ing effect,  whereas  another  patient  may  need  a  few 
tablespoonfuls  every  few  hours.  Then  again,  with 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  19 

some  patients  it  is  contra-indicated ;  that  is,  it  is  not 
called  for — not  necessary;  and  if  taken  "anyhow" 
will  result  in  harm  to  the  drinker. 

To  drink  these  medicines  (tea  and  coffee)  "any  old 
time,"  and  when  "visitors  come,"  is  a  crime  to  one's 
self  and  his  dependents.  One  might  as  well  chew 
tobacco  "when  guests  come"  or  drink  a  cupful  of 
whiskey  after  each  meal,  or  chew  some  arsenic,  garlic, 
or  liver  all  day,  just  because  his  palate  "enjoys"  it. 
This  sort  of  "living"  should  be  stopped. 


ALCOHOLISM 

In  the  whole  realm  of  organic  life  the  human  is 
the  only  animal  that  debauches  and  converts  his 
digestive  system  and  eliminative  organs  into  alcoholic 
sewer  pipes.  Kingdoms  have  fallen;  business  men 
have  gone  into  bankruptcy;  jobs  have  been  lost; 
young  men  have  left  their  college  education  incom- 
plete; virtuous  girls  have  been  ruined;  homes  de- 
stroyed; venereal  diseases  encouraged  and  pro- 
longed; diseases  of  the  liver,  stomach  and  kidneys 
brought  about;  insanity  increased;  doctors  kept 
busy;  criminals  made;  divorce  courts  kept  alive; 
because  this  diabolic  and  malignant  disease  called 
ALCOHOLISM  has  succeeded  in  spreading  its  fangs, 
crushing,  maiming  and  destroying  humanity. 

This  alcoholism  has  been  the  curse  of  ages,  but 
it  has  reached  its  height  in  this  century  since  the 
brewery  trust  has  cunningly  taught  the  people  to 
believe  that  whiskey,  beer  and  the  like  were  "concen- 
trated foods"  or  "tonics."  Few  realize  that  even 
beer,  wine,  and  whiskey  can  be  and  have  been  adul- 
terated like  some  of  our  foodstuffs.  Sometimes  the 
adulterating  material  does  more  harm  than  the  beer 
or  whiskey  itself. 

Every  alcoholic  victim  is  a  "walking  exhibit"  or 
living  testimony  of  the  advertising  efficiency  and 
practical  success  of  the  brewery  interests.  For  their 

own  glory,  these  have  created  mental,  phvsical,  and 

20 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  21 

financial  paupers  of  many  thousands  of  good  men 
and  women.  We  are  the  only  bipeds  known  who 
respond  favorably  to  the  whims,  fancies  and  adver- 
tising campaigns  of  these  interests. 

ALCOHOLISM 

What  is  alcoholism?  Alcoholism  or  alcohol-pois- 
oning is  the  morbid  effect  of  excess  in  the  use  of 
alcoholic  drinks.  It  appears  in  acute  and  chronic 
stages. 

ACUTE  ALCOHOLISM 

Acute  Alcoholism  may  be  the  result  of  the  "first 
booze  indulgence."  You  probably  remember  how 
some  friend  or  acquaintance  looked  after  the  first 
"spree,"  with  his  flushed  face,  incoherent  speech,  loss 
of  muscular  control,  nausea,  and  stupor;  commonly 
referred  to  as  the  "morning  after  the  night  before" 
effect.  Then,  that  splitting  headache,  those  stomach 
pains,  general  weakness  and  trembling !  All  this  un- 
pleasantness would  not  be  in  vain  if  only  the  "Henry 
Dubb"  would  realize  his  mistake  and  quit.  But  the 
trouble  is,  he  wants  to  show  that  he  is  a  "regular 
guy,"  and  takes  "another  plunge."  Before  he  real- 
izes, he  is  a  full-fledged  "drunk"  often  seen  with  a 
large  "schooner"  in  hand,  one  foot  on  the  "foot  bar," 
nose  red,  hat  tilted,  and  on  the  verge  of  another 
spasmodic  jerk  (hiccough).  Of  course,  this  picture 
is  not  so  visible  to  the  ordinary  public  now  as  in  the 
past. 

CHBONIC    ALCOHOLISM 

The  chronic  effects  of  alcohol  create  degenerative 
changes  in  the  system,  such  as  fibrous  hardening  of 


22  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  heart,  arteries,  liver,  and  kidneys.  Microscopic 
examination  would  show  an  overgrowth  of  fibrous 
tissue  and  a  wasting  of  the  cells  and  tissues  that  con- 
cern themselves  with  the  filtering  and  eliminative 
processes  of  the  kidneys.  When  the  chronic  con- 
sumer, after  years  of  indulging,  begins  to  "reap  the 
harvest"  he  has  enlargement  of  the  heart.  The  next 
time  you  hear  somebody  say  of  a  certain  "heavy" 
drinker  that  he  has  a  "big  heart"  you  may  be  hearing 
the  truth  after  all,  anatomically  speaking.  Further, 
examination  would  reveal  the  kidneys  shriveled  and 
granulated  instead  of  smooth.  The  hobnailed  liver 
of  the  alcoholist  is  an  old  story,  technically  known 
as  "cirrhosis  of  the  liver." 

Why  should  the  faithful  liver  suffer  for  the  sins 
of  its  master?  What  crimes  have  the  liver,  kidneys, 
and  stomach  committed  that  they  should  be  so  bru- 
tally treated?  The  truth  is  that  the  liver,  kidneys, 
and  stomach  are  our  most  loyal  and  devoted  friends. 
If  you  will  take  half  the  care  of  them  that  they  take 
of  you,  you  will  never  regret  it.  Besides,  it  will  pay 
very  well  for  the  time,  energy,  and  patience  invested ! 
You  sometimes  "kick"  about  your  boss  in  the  shop 
or  office  neglecting  you.  Let  me  ask  whether  you 
take  good  care  of  "your  own  employees"?  Do  you 
realize  that  when  you  irritate  and  chill  your  stomach, 
liver,  and  kidneys  with  adulterated  whiskey,  wine, 
and  beer  that  you  are  giving  pain  and  discomfort 
to  yourself,  reducing  your  vitality,  actually  killing 
living  matter,  and  that  you  are  abusing  your  best 
workers — your  best  servants?  Then,  when  they  "go 
on  strike"  (your  kidneys  and  stomach)  you  kick  like 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  23 

h —  -  because  they  give  you  some  inconvenience  in 
form  of  pain,  belching,  splitting  headaches,  and 
backache. 

Remember,  there  is  no  happiness  without  health, 
and  that  the  way  to  be  healthy  and  happy  is  to  lead 
a  simple,  clean  life.  In  order  to  lead  a  simple  and 
clean  life  you  must  eliminate  bad  habits,  among 
which  indulgence  in  alcoholic  concoctions  is  one  of 
the  worst  kind. 

A  FEW  INSTRUCTIVE  SAYINGS 

"Intemperance  is  the  mightiest  of  all  the  forces 
that  clog  the  progress  of  good." — BUXTON. 

"Intemperance  is  the  voluntary  extinction  of  rea- 
son."— CHANNING. 

"To  bite  the  hand  that  is  feeding  you  is  the  basest 
ingratitude;  but  the  liquor  traffic  destroys  both  soul 
and  body  of  those  from  whom  it  filches  its  millions." 
— The  Instructor. 

"Not  so  very  long  ago  poor  people  in  London 
waited  to  buy  sugar,  and  yet  carloads  were  destroyed 
in  London  breweries.  Where  is  your  consistency?" 
— JENNIE  CRISTOL,  Chicago. 

"Drink  should  be  opposed,  because  it  opposes  the 
drinker." — JOSEPH  A.  KATZOFF. 

WHAT    SCIENCE    HAS    TO    SAY 

"It  is  false  that  alcohol  aids  digestion." — F.  R. 
LEES,  M.D. 

"Good  health  will,  in  my  opinion,  always  be  in- 
jured by  even  small  doses  of  alcohol." — SIR  ANDREW 
CLARK,  M.D. 


24  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

"Few  seamen  have  been  in  the  cold  more  than  I 
have,  and  I  know  spirits  do  harm." — CAPTAIN 
PERRY. 

"The  common  notion  that  some  form  of  alcoholic 
beverage  is  necessary  in  tropical  climates  is,  I  be- 
lieve, a  mischievous  delusion." — DR.  PARK. 

"Whoever  wants,  by  a  short  and  easy  method,  to 
divest  his  thinking  of  all  clearness  and  balance,  let 
him  apply  the  bottle." — JNO.  GUTHRIE,  M.A.,  D.D. 

"In  my  study  of  thirty  thousand  children,  taken 
from  the  school  attended  by  the  wage-earning  class 
in  New  York,  I  have  found  conditions  apparently 
incredible  in  a  civilized  country.  Laboring  under 
the  functional  traits  inherited  from  drinking  parents, 
seventy  per  cent  of  the  children  have  managed  to 
secure  alcoholic  beverages  in  some  form,  ranging 
from  a  glass  of  beer  to  five  glasses  a  day.  Twenty 
per  cent  drank  wine  and  spirits." — DR.  T.  ALEXAN- 
DER MAcNlCHOLL. 

"Prodigious  quantities  of  good  food,  soundly 
adapted  to  the  human  machine,  are  expensively 
treated  and  destroyed  to  make  alcohol.  Surely  there 
is  a  matter  here  for  consideration  in  connection  with 
the  high  cost  of  living." — "Alcohol — Its  Relation  to 
Human  Efficiency  and  Longevity,"  by  DR.  EUGENE 
LYMAN  FISK. 

SAYINGS  FROM  LITERATURE 

"Wine  is  a  mocker." — SOLOMON. 
"A  curse." — QUEEN  VICTORIA. 
"A  scandal  and  a  shame." — WILLIAM  E.  GLAD- 
STONE. 

"A  trap  for  workingmen." — EARL  CAIRNES. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  25 

"A  devil  in  solution." — SIR  WILFRED  HAWSON. 

"The  mother  of  want  and  the  nurse  of  crime." — 
LORD  BROUGHTON. 

"Oh!  that  men  would  put  an  enemy  in  their 
mouths,  to  steal  away  their  brains !" — SHAKESPEARE. 

"Intemperance  is  not  the  only  sin  in  the  world,  but 
it  is  one  of  the  most  prevalent  and  dangerous." — 
ANON. 

"The  liquor  traffic  is  a  cancer  in  society.  It  must 
be  eradicated;  not  a  root  must  be  left  behind." — 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

"Alcohol  gives  neither  health  nor  strength,  nor 
warmth  nor  happiness.  It  does  nothing  but  harm." 
— TOLSTOI. 

"Alcohol  is  food  for  lust,  lies,  idleness,  dishonesty, 
and  every  'slug'  and  'scale'  and  parasite  of  charac- 
ter. But  from  Noah's  time  to  the  fourth  year  of 
William  IV,  it  never  fed  a  virtue  in  any  man." — 
JNO.  G.  WOLLEY. 

The  following  very  interesting  poem  is  selected 
by  Matilda  Erickson,  and  printed  in  her  book,  "Tem- 
perance Torchlights,"  from  which  we  quote : 

THE    SONG    OF    THE    RYE 

I  was  made  to  be  eaten  and  not  to  be  drank; 
To  be  thrashed  in  the  barn,  not  soaked  in  a  tank. 
I  come  as  a  blessing  when  put  through  a  mill; 
As  a  blight  and  a  curse  when  run  through  a  still. 

Make  me  up  into  loaves,  and  your  children  are  fed; 
But  if  into  drink,  I'll  starve  them  instead. 
In  bread,  I'm  a  servant,  the  eater  shall  rule; 
In   drink,   I'm  master,  the  drinker,  a  fool. 

— SELECTED. 


26  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

WHAT   LIFE   INSURANCE   EEVEALS 

The  records  of  the  British  Life  Insurance  Insti- 
tution show  that  during  the  period  from  1886  to 
1910  the  users  of  alcohol,  who  were  about  equal  in 
number  to  the  non-users,  and  selected  as  high-grade, 
temperate  risks,  showed  a  mortality  of  37  per  cent 
in  excess  of  that  exhibited  by  the  abstainers. 

The  figures  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany show  that  among  those  addicts,  who  had  taken 
a  cure  for  alcoholism  and  were  temperate  at  the 
time  of  acceptance,  the  extra  mortality  was  70  per 
cent.  In  the  experience  of  forty-three  companies, 
among  those  who  had  taken  a  cure,  and  remained 
total  abstainers  up  to  the  time  of  acceptance,  the 
mortality  was  35  per  cent  above  the  normal.  Those 
who  had  been  heavy  drinkers,  and  who  had  reformed 
without  taking  a  cure,  showed  an  extra  mortality 
of  32  per  cent,  probably  because  of  stronger  will 
power  and  sturdier  nervous  constitution. 

DRINKERS    AND    ABSTAINERS    COMPARED 

The  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company's  experience 
from  1875  to  1889  showed  a  mortality  among  ab- 
stainers 23  per  cent  less  than  among  users.  A 
second  investigation  by  Dr.  E.  Pirter,  medical 
director  of  the  company,  covering  the  years  1907  to 
1912,  showed  the  mortality  among  total  abstainers 
to  be  17  per  cent  less  than  among  moderate  users. 

The  Northwestern  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany's experience  exhibited  some  curious  conditions. 
Temperate  beer  and  wine  drinkers  showed  a  mor- 
tality only  about  3  per  cent  in  excess  of  abstainers ; 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  27 

whiskey  drinkers  and  heavy  beer  drinkers  showed  a 
death  rate  of  25  per  cent  higher  than  the  abstainers. 
In  1900  the  Equitable  Life  Insurance  Company 
established  an  abstainers'  class.  Judging  from  cases 
in  which  dividends  have  been  paid,  the  death  rate  in 
the  abstainers'  class  has  been  at  least  25  per  cent 
less  than  in  the  general  class. 

THE  ECONOMIC   SIDE 

Alcohol  is  a  wonderful  help  in  the  arts,  sciences 
and  manufacture.  Some  claim  it  to  be  a  good  cleans- 
er of  windows  and  polisher  of  certain  furniture. 
Surely  it  makes  a  poor  wash  for  one's  stomach  and 
kidneys. 

There  are  some  people  who  say  that  alcohol  or  its 
abuse  is  the  cause  of  all  poverty  and  misery  in  the 
world.  The  abuse  of  alcohol  may  be  a  contributory 
cause  to  a  great  deal  of  misery  and  poverty,  but  not 
a  primary  or  direct  one.  Let  us  suppose  that  we 
have  "absolute  prohibition,"  would  that  eliminate 
poverty  and  misery?  Is  it  not  more  probable  that 
the  loss  of  a  job  for  a  long  period,  or  a  loveless  mar- 
riage, or  the  monotonous  existence  (eternal  grind) 
of  some  people  drives  them  to  drink?  Why  not, 
then,  remove  the  cause  of  alcoholism  first,  to  be  scien- 
tific and  efficient  about  it?  Until  the  people  under- 
stand that  their  craving  for  alcohol  (or  any  other 
stimulant)  is  a  symptom  of  disease,  and  that  their 
sorrows  cannot  be  drowned  in  a  "schooner,"  we  shall 
have  poverty  and  misery.  Until  the  people  are  edu- 
cated enough  to  know  why  "booze"  exists,  how  it  is 
made,  and  the  destructive  results  of  indulging  in  it, 
it  will  be  sold  (and  drunk  irrespective),  and  poverty 


28  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

and  misery  will  be  with  us.  It  is  a  matter  of  educa- 
tion. It  will  never  be  accomplished  by  conventional 
force.  We  cannot  put  a  muzzle  on  a  crippled,  crav- 
ing appetite.  Until  people  become  more  educated  in 
everything  pertaining  to  their  welfare,  "booze"  and 
all  other  artificial  stimulants  will  be  sold;  if  not 
openly,  covertly;  not  only  in  saloons,  but  in  grocery 
stores,  barber  shops,  drug  stores,  clothing  stores, 
and  crockery  stores;  from  cellars,  roofs,  and  ceil- 
ings ;  in  streets  and  alleys ;  and  in  valley  and  moun- 
tain districts. 

Further,  wholesome  food,  proper  shelter,  and  hy- 
gienic clothes  plus  the  opportunity  to  render  useful 
service  according  to  one's  natural  ability,  would 
create  a  desire  for  mental  and  physical  culture,  to 
such  a  degree  that  it  would  lessen  "irritability"  and 
tend  to  remove  the  abnormal  craving  for  "booze," 
which  converts  the  digestive  and  eliminative  organs 
of  human  beings  into  "alcoholic  sewer-pipes." 


"SMOKING  CHIMNEYS"  OR  THE  TOBACCO 
HABIT  x 

Men  and  women  are  too  noble,  too  good,  and  too 
valuable  to  themselves,  their  dependents,  and  the 
community  to  be  permitted  continuous,  self-deterio- 
ration with  "skunk  weed"  without  a  rational  word  of 
advice  and  warning  from  those  more  fortunate  in 
knowing  the  truth. 

The  tobacco  habit  (or  tobacco  disease)  victimizes 
its  devotees  physically,  mentally,  and  commercially. 
It  makes  the  tobacco  trust  richer,  and  the  common 
people  poorer.  Thus  people  "pass  their  time"  ac- 
quiring "tobacco  heart"  and  prepare  for  other  dis- 
eases. Often,  had  it  not  been  for  this  repugnant 
weed,  they  might  have  utilized  their  leisure  moments 
for  intellectual  advancement  and  service  in  the  cause 
of  humanity. 

A  NASTY  HABIT 

From  "The  Tobacco  Skunk  and  His  Depreda- 
tions," by  J.  W.  Hodge,  M.D.,  in  The  Naturopath, 
October,  1911,  we  quote:  "So  utterly  odious  and 
repulsive  is  this  vile  practice  to  the  normal  instincts 
of  both  man  and  beast  that  the  former  is  at  first 
made  deathly  sick  by  it,  while  the  latter  instinctively 
refuses  to  adopt  it.  Of  the  entire  animal  kingdom, 
the  male  animal  of  the  genus  homo  seems  to  be  about 

i  Compilation  of  opinions. 

29 


30  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  only  animal  on  this  mundane  sphere  who  is  ad- 
dicted to  this  filthy  and  degrading  practice.  .  .  ." 

MILLIONS   WASTED   ANNUALLY 

To  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  appalling  ex- 
penditure of  money  to  make  nuisances  of  men,  and 
also  to  keep  us  physicians  busy,  the  writer  will  quote 
from  the  Internal  Revenue  Report  for  the  fiscal  year 
ending  June  30th,  1917:  (Recent  statistics  are  still 
more  deplorable.) 

"Every  man,  woman  and  child  smoked  on  an  aver- 
age ninety  cigars  last  year,  a  total  of  9,216,901,113. 
If  the  average  cost  of  each  cigar  was  only  five  cents 
the  total  cost  would  be  $4*60,000,000,  or  an  average 
of  about  $23  a  year  for  each  family. 

"But  we  must  not  forget  Mr.  Cigarette!  Last 
year  we  consumed  only  30,529,193,538  cigarettes,  or 
an  average  of  about  300  for  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  in  the  country.  The  country  used  445,763,206 
pounds  of  tobacco  for  smoking  and  chewing.  The 
total  consumption  of  snuff  was  35,377,218  pounds, 
making  an  average  of  one-third  of  a  pound  of  snuff  a 
year  for  every  person  in  the  United  States. 

"It  has  been  estimated  that  the  internal  revenue 
from  tobacco  for  a  year  would  build  fourteen  battle- 
ships of  the  first  class,  or  it  would  pay  the  salary  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States  for  nearly  a  thou- 
sand years. 

"The  money  spent  by  smokers  for  cigars,  exclu- 
sive of  cigarettes,  chewing  tobacco  and  snuff,  would 
more  than  pay  for  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal 
and  would  take  care  of  the  $50,000,000  paid  to  the 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  31 

new  French  Canal  Company  and  the  Republic  of 
Panama  for  property  and  franchises. 

"There  are  21,718,448  cigars  consumed  in  the 
United  States  every  twenty-four  hours,  904,935 
every  hour,  15,082  every  minute,  and  251  every 
second. 

"Were  all  the  cigars  smoked  yearly  in  the  United 
States  put  together,  end  to  end,  they  would  girdle 
the  earth  twenty- two  times. 

"If  all  the  cigarettes  smoked  were  strung  on  a  wire 
they  would  make  a  cable  that  would  reach  from  the 
earth  to  the  moon  and  back  again,  with  enough  left 
over  to  circle  one  and  a  half  times  around  the  globe. 

"If  this  quantity  of  tobacco  could  be  placed  on 
one  side  of  a  huge  balancing  scale  it  would  take  the 
combined  weight  of  four  vast  armies,  each  army 
consisting  of  1,000,000  men,  to  pull  down  the  other 
side  of  the  scale." 

This  gives  some  idea  of  what  goes  up  in  smoke 
every  year!  Do  we  ever  stop  to  consider  that  this 
enormous  amount  of  wasteful  expenditure  falls 
largely  upon  the  poor  people?  Many  a  poor  wife 
drudges,  toils,  and  sweats,  from  morn  until  night, 
saving  every  cent,  so  that  her  husband  may  "enjoy" 
the  luxury  of  a  filthy  pipe !  Many  a  man's  last  nickel 
has  gone  for  "a  plug"  or  "a  chew."  This  sort  of 
pleasure  opens  the  way  for  illness. 

A  POOR  MAN'S  LUXURY 

Some  people  talk  about  tobacco  being  "a  poor 
man's  luxury."  We  might  as  well  argue  that  opium- 
smoking,  morphine-eating,  cocaine-sniffing,  and 


32  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

booze-guzzling  give  "pleasure"  or  afford  certain  peo- 
ple "luxury,"  and  that  therefore  we  have  no  right  to 
even  suggest  a  remedy.  Why  is  it  that  practically 
only  men  require  it?  If  it  is  supposed  to  relieve  or 
"smooth  out"  the  burdens  of  the  laborer,  why  not 
give  it  to  the  laborer's  wife?  Has  the  wife  of  the 
laborer  no  burdens  to  bear  ?  And  if  tobacco  "steadies 
the  nerves,"  why  should  not  our  wives,  daughters  and 
mothers  "have  a  chew"  or  "a  puff"? 

"MODERATION"  IN  SMOKING 

There  is  no  temperance  or  moderation  in  vice  or 
error.  Temperance  requires  total  abstinence  from 
things  hurtful.  The  evil  is  in  the  thing  itself.  One 
might  as  well  argue  that  one  rotten  egg  a  day  can't 
hurt  much ;  it  is  administering  poison  in  moderation. 
The  fact  is  that  although  one  decayed  egg  will  not 
kill  (as  a  rule),  yet  it  will  harm.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  four,  five,  or  more  such  eggs  a  day  will 
become  very  harmful — at  least  in  time.  It  is  true 
that  we  can  become  accustomed  to  any  poison, 
whether  it  be  tobacco,  decayed  eggs,  or  anything 
else.  We  do  not  need  any  more  proof  to  show  that 
we  can  accustom  ourselves  to  inferior  or  adulterated 
foods  than  the  human  evidence  of  much  daily  living. 
(Read  chapter  "Food  Adulterations.") 

A  story  told  by  a  cigarette: 

"I  am  not  much  of  a  mathematician,"  said  a  ciga- 
rette, "but  I  can  add  to  a  man's  nervous  troubles ;  I 
can  subtract  from  his  physical  energy;  I  can  multi- 
ply his  aches  and  pains ;  and  I  can  divide  his  mental 
powers ;  I  can  take  interest  from  his  work ;  and  dis- 
count his  chances  of  success." — PBOF.  COFFIN-NAIL. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  33 

THE   PHYSIOLOGY   AND    CHEMISTEY   OF    "SKUNK  WEED" 

Nicotine 

On  the  subject  of  TOBACCO,  Henry  H.  Rusby, 
M.D.,  in  "Reference  Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sci- 
ences," writes  the  following:  "So  far  as  the  physio- 
logical and  medicinal  actions  of  tobacco  are  con- 
cerned, the  important  constituent  is  the  alkaloid 
NICOTINE,  the  percentage  of  which  tends  to  in- 
crease with  the  temperature  of  the  producing  local- 
ity. The  percentage  varies  from  less  than  one  to 
ten  or  twelve  per  cent,  the  latter  in  the  strong  Ama- 
zonian tobacco.  Nicotianin  is  an  aromatic  camphor- 
like  constituent  apt  to  be  present  in  greater  quantity 
when  nicotine  is  less  abundant.  Many  salts  of  in- 
organic acids  occur,  especially  potassium  nitrate. 
The  percentage  of  ash  is  very  large,  occasionally 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent.  The  chemical 
products  resulting  from  combustion  are  numerous 
and  very  complex. 

"Nicotine  is  an  irritant  to  the  mucous  membrane 
and  reflexly  stimulates  both  the  salivary  and  mucous 
secretions.  It  powerfully  contracts  the  pupil  and 
strongly  depresses  the  respiration,  and  to  a  less  ex- 
tent the  circulation.  Its  most  prominent  effects  are 
nauseant  expectoration  and  diaphoresis,  emesis  and 
cerebral  disorder,  including  dizziness,  disorders  of 
vision,  and  headache. 

HOW  TOBACCO  GETS  INTO  THE  BODY 

".  .  .  When  tobacco  is  kept  in  the  mouth,  the  nic- 
otine is  absorbed  by  the  lining  membrane  and  carried 
directly  into  the  blood.  There  it  circulates  through 


34  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  body  and  comes  in  contact  with  every  vital  or- 
gan. When  tobacco  is  smoked,  a  poisonous  principle 
called  pyridine  enters  the  smoke  and  is  carried,  to- 
gether with  nicotine,  into  the  blood  by  absorption 
through  the  mouth  and  lungs. 

THE    EFFECT    OF    PYRIDINE 

"Pyridine  is  very  acrid  and  is  highly  irritating  to 
mucous  linings.  That  is  the  reason  why  smokers 
get  redness  and  dryness  of  the  lining  of  the  mouth, 
throat,  and  larynx,  accompanied  by  thirst.  This 
condition  is  generally  called  'Smoker's  Sore  Throat.' 
Sometimes  small  blisters  appear  in  the  mouth  which 
by  the  continued  irritation  of  this  acrid  oil,  called 
pyridine,  form  an  ulcer,  finally  assuming  a  malignant 
or  cancerous  character.  .  .  ." 

THE  DEADLY  CIGARETTE 

The  boy  who  smokes  these  filthy  things, 
These  cigarettes,  I  mean, 
With  clothes  and  breath  offensive,  vile, 
Can  never  be  called  clean. 

They  stunt  the  growth  of  the  physique, 
The  brilliant  eyes  bedim, 
Befog  the  mental  vision,  too, 
For  judgment,  don't  trust  him! 

If  he's  a  servant  anywhere, 
This  slave  of  cigarette, 
His  services  cannot  be  the  best, 
His  duties  he  forgets. 

My  boy,  don't  use  these  "coffin  nails," 
For,  surely,  if  you  do, 
You  undervalue  manhood's  worth, 
And  crush  your  spirits,  too! 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  35 

Say,  "No!"  when  first  you're  tempted, 
Say,  "No!"  you  surely  can, 
Say,  "No!"  to  every  evil; 
Be  first  and  last  a  man! 

— Selected  in  Temperance  Torchlights. 

THE    WILY   WEED 

I  have  walked  in  summer  meadows 
Where  the  sunbeams  flashed  and  broke, 
But  I  never  saw  the  cattle  nor  the 
Sheep  nor  horses  smoke. 

I  have  watched  the  birds  with  wonder 

When  the  world  with  dew  is  wet, 

But  I  never  saw  a  robin  puffing  at  a  cigarette. 

I  have  fished  in  many  a  river 

When  the  sucker  crop  was  ripe, 

But  I  never  saw  a  catfish  puffing  at  a  briar  pipe. 

Man's  the  only  living  creature  that 
Parades  this  vale  of  tears, 
Like  a  blooming  traction  engine, 
Puffing  smoke  from  nose  and  ears. 

If  Dame  Nature  had  intended,  when 
She  first  invented  man,  that  he'd  smoke, 
She  would  have  built  him  on  a 
Widely  different  plan. 

She'd  have  fixed  him  with  a  stove  pipe, 
And  a  damper  and  a  grate, 
And  he'd  had  a  smoke  consumer  that 
Was  strictly  up  to  date. 

— From  The  Brown  God  and  His  White  Imp. 

WHAT    TOBACCO    CAN    DO 

Dr.  Murry  relates  the  history  of  three  children 
who  were  seized  with  vomiting,  vertigo,  and  profuse 
perspiration,  and  died  in  twenty-four  hours  with 


36  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tremors  and  convulsions,  after  having  the  head 
rubbed  with  a  liniment  made  from  tobacco.  "The 
tea  of  twenty  or  thirty  grains  of  tobacco,"  says 
Dr.  Murry,  "introduced  into  the  human  body  for 
the  purpose  of  relieving  a  spasm  has  been  known 
repeatedly  to  destroy  life." 

Dr.  M.  Lauden  of  France  says,  "It  is  the  appeal- 
ing testimony  of  a  college  of  physicians  that  twenty 
thousand  persons  in  our  land  die  annually  from  to- 
bacco poison." 

A  member  of  one  of  the  largest  tobacco  firms  in 
St.  Louis  said  recently  that  tobacco  kills  more  men 
than  alcohol. 

"The  Indians  of  our  country,"  says  the  Journal  of 
Health^  "are  well  aware  of  its  poisonous  effects,  and 
were  accustomed  to  dipping  the  heads  of  their  arrows 
in  an  oil  obtained  from  the  leaves  of  tobacco,  which 
being  inserted  into  the  flesh  occasioned  sickness  and 
faintings,  and  even  convulsions  and  death." 

Dr.  Warren,  of  Boston,  says,  "not  only  is  the  com- 
mon belief  that  tobacco  is  beneficial  to  the  teeth  en- 
tirely erroneous,  but  also  that  its  poison  and  relax- 
ing qualities  are  positively  injurious  to  them.  Such 
is  the  general  opinion  of  medical  men,  not  only  in 
this  country,  but  also  in  Europe." 

W.  H.  Griffith,  Professor  of  Music,  in  his  treatise 
on  the  human  voice,  says :  "In  every  case  of  a  singer 
being  a  habitual  user  of  the  weed,  a  dryness  of  the 
mucous  membrane  is  noticed,  much  to  the  detriment 
of  the  voice."  He  advises  all  who  value  their  voice 
to  lay  it  aside. 

Dr.  Albert  L.  Gihon  says,  "I  have  several  times 
rejected  candidates  for  admission  into  the  Naval 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  37 

Academy  on  account  of  their  defective  vision,  who 
confessed  to  the  premature  use  of  tobacco." 

"If  all  boys  could  be  made  to  know  that  with  every 
breath  of  cigarette  smoke  they  inhale  imbecility  and 
exhale  manhood ;  that  they  are  tapping  their  arteries 
as  surely  as  letting  their  life's  blood  out  when  their 
veins  and  arteries  were  severed  and  that  the  cigarette 
is  a  maker  of  invalids,  criminals,  and  fools,  not  men — 
it  ought  to  deter  some." — HUDSON  MAXIM,  in  The 
Youth's  Instructor. 

A  FEW   PROMINENT  MEN  WHO  DO  NOT  USE  TOBACCO 

Ex-President  Woodrow  Wilson;  Hon.  William  J. 
Bryan ;  Hon.  William  Taft ;  Hon.  Chas.  E.  Hughes ; 
Hon.  Benj.  B.  Lindsey  (Judge  of  Juvenile  Court, 
Denver)  ;  Hon.  Louis  D.  Brandeis  (Justice  of  United 
States  Supreme  Court)  ;  Hon.  James  C.  McReynolds 
(Justice  of  United  States  Supreme  Court)  ;  Prof. 
David  Starr  Jordan;  Prof.  Howard  A.  Kelly,  M.D. 
(Johns  Hopkins  University) ;  Harvey  W.  Wiley, 
M.D.,  Ph.D.  (Food  Expert,  U.  S.  Government); 
Daniel  H.  Kress,  M.D.  (Vice-President  Anti-Ciga- 
rette League)  ;  P.  P.  Claxton  (U.  S.  Com.  of  Educa- 
tion) ;  Hon.  Arthur  Capper  (Governor  of  Kansas)  ; 
Hon.  Lynn  J.  Frazier  (Governor  of  North  Dakota)  ; 
Hon.  J.  Frank  Hanley  (ex-Governor  of  Indiana). 


258291 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN'S  HEALTH  RULES 

It  is  interesting  to  know  that  Benjamin  Franklin, 
one  of  the  greatest  men  of  his  time,  a  most  energetic, 
thoughtful  and  truth-loving  American,  owed  his  fame 
and  accomplishments  largely  to  an  understanding 
and  following  out  of  his  own  health  rules,  which  were 
based  on  temperance  in  diet  and  drink.  I  here  pre- 
sent some  words  of  Franklin,  which  are  self-explan- 
atory : 

"When  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  I  happened  to  meet  with 
a  book  written  by  one  Tyron,  recommending  a  vegetable  diet. 
I  determined  to  go  into  it.  My  brother,  being  yet  unmarried, 
did  not  keep  house,  but  boarded  himself  and  his  apprentices 
in  another  family. 

"My  refusing  to  eat  flesh  occasioned  an  inconveniency  and 
I  was  frequently  chid  for  my  singularity.  I  made  myself  ac- 
quainted with  Tyron's  manner  of  preparing  some  of  his  dishes, 
such  as  boiling  potatoes  or  rice,  making  hasty  pudding,  and  a 
few  others,  and  then  proposed  to  my  brother,  that  if  he  would 
give  me,  weekly,  half  of  the  money  he  paid  for  my  board,  I 
would  board  myself.  He  instantly  agreed  to  it,  and  I  presently 
found  that  I  could  save  half  of  what  he  paid  me. 

"This  was  an  additional  fund  for  buying  books.  But  I  had 
another  advantage  in  it.  My  brother  and  the  rest  going  from 
the  printing-house  to  their  meals,  I  remained  there  alone,  and 
despatching  presently  my  light  repast,  which  often  was  no 
more  than  a  biscuit  or  a  slice  of  bread,  a  handful  of  raisins  or 
a  tart  from  the  pastry  cook's,  and  a  glass  of  water,  had  the 
rest  of  the  time,  until  their  return,  for  study,  in  which  I  made 
the  greater  progress  from  that  greater  quickness  of  head 
and  quicker  apprehension  which  usually  attend  temperance  in 
eating  and  drinking." 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  39 

RULES  OF  HEALTH  AND  LONG  LIFE,  AND  TO  PRESERVE 

FROM  MALIGNANT  FEVERS  AND  SICKNESS 

IN    GENERAL 

"Eat  and  drink  such  an  exact  quantity  as  the 
constitution  of  thy  body  allows  of,  in  reference  to 
the  Service  of  the  Mind. 

"They  that  study  much,  ought  not  to  eat  so  much 
as  those  that  work  hard,  their  digestion  being  not 
so  good. 

"The  exact  quantity  and  quality  being  found  out, 
is  to  be  kept  constantly. 

"Excess  in  all  other  things  whatever,  as  well  as  in 
meat  and  drink,  is  also  to  be  avoided. 

"Youth,  age  and  the  sick  require  a  different  quan- 
tity. And  so  do  those  of  contrary  complexions ;  for 
that  which  is  too  much  for  a  Phlegmatic  man  is  not 
sufficient  for  a  Choleric. 

"The  measure  of  food  ought  to  be  (as  much  as 
possibly  may  be)  exactly  proportionate  to  the  Qual- 
ity and  Condition  of  the  Stomach,  because  the  Stom- 
ach digests  it. 

"That  quantity  that  is  sufficient,  the  Stomach  can 
perfectly  concoct  and  digest,  and  it  sufficeth  the  due 
Nourishment  of  the  Body. 

"A  greater  quantity  of  some  things  may  be  eaten 
than  of  others,  some  being  of  lighter  digestion.  The 
difficulty  lies  in  finding  out  an  exact  measure;  but 
for  Necessity,  not  for  Pleasure,  for  Lust  knows  not 
where  Necessity  ends. 

"Wouldst  Thou  enjoy  a  long  life,  a  healthy  body 
and  vigorous  mind,  and  be  acquainted  also  with  the 
wonderful  works  of  God,  labor  in  the  first  place  to 


40  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

bring    thy    appetite    into    subjection    to    reason." 

EULES  TO  FIND  OUT  A  FIT  MEASUEE  OF  MEAT  AND 
DEINK 

"If  thou  eatest  so  much  as  makes  thee  unfit  for 
business,  thou  exceedest  the  due  measure. 

"If  thou  art  dull  and  heavy  after  meat,  it's  a  sign 
thou  hast  exceeded  the  due  measure;  for  meat  and 
drink  ought  to  refresh  the  body,  and  make  it  cheer- 
ful, and  not  to  dull  and  oppress  it. 

"If  thou  findest  these  ill  Symptoms,  consider 
whether  too  much  meat  or  too  much  drink  occasions 
it,  or  both,  and  abate  a  little,  and  little,  till  thou 
findest  the  inconveniency  removed. 

"Keep  out  of  the  Sight  of  Feasts  and  Banquets 
as  much  as  may  be ;  for  it  is  more  difficult  to  refrain 
good  cheer,  when  it's  present,  than  from  the  Desire 
of  it  when  it  is  away;  the  like  you  may  observe  in 
the  objects  of  all  the  other  senses. 

"If  a  man  casually  exceeds,  let  him  fast  the  next 
Meal,  and  all  may  be  well  again,  provided  it  be  not 
too  often  done;  as  if  he  exceeded  at  dinner,  let  him 
refrain  at  supper. 

"A  temperate  diet  frees  from  diseases;  such  are 
seldom  ill,  but  if  they  are  surprised  with  sickness, 
they  bear  it  better  and  recover  sooner,  for  most  dis- 
tempers have  their  original  from  repletion. 

"Use  now  and  then  a  little  exercise  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  before  meals  as  to  swing  a  Weight ;  or  swing 
your  arms  about  with  a  small  weight  in  each  hand; 
to  leap,  or  the  like,  for  that  stirs  the  muscles  of  the 
breast. 

"A  temperate  diet  arms  the  body  against  all  ex- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  41 

ternal  accidents ;  so  that  they  are  not  easily  hurt  by 
Heat,  Cold  or  Labor;  if  they  at  any  time  should  be 
prejudiced,  they  are  more  easily  cured  either  of 
wounds,  dislocations,  or  bruises. 

"A  Sober  Diet  makes  a  man  die  without  pain;  it 
maintains  the  senses  in  Vigor;  it  mitigates  the  vio- 
lence of  the  Passions  and  Affections." 


FOOD  ADULTERATION 

FOOD    PHILOSOPHY 

If  we  could  only  realize  that,  physically  speaking, 
we  are  "what  we  eat,"  we  would  be  more  interested 
in  the  important  subject,  food.  We  would  use  our 
senses  of  sight,  smell,  and  taste  when  selecting  food 
and  would  be  familiar  with  food  tests  and  the  physi- 
ological processes  of  foods.  From  all  this  we  would 
learn  to  eat  for  physical  well-being,  and  not  merely 
to  tickle  our  palates  and  to  enable  food  magnates 
to  exploit  us  or  laugh  at  us.  Our  mouths  would  be 
a  door  to  health,  strength,  and  beauty,  rather  than 
to  misery  and  premature  death.  We  would  realize 
that  eating  when  one  is  not  hungry  is  a  digestive 
crime. 

Food  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  body  that  fuel 
does  to  the  locomotive.  Unless  proper  food  is  sup- 
plied in  correct  proportions,  the  bodily  functions  are 
materially  interfered  with.  It  is  therefore  essential 
as  well  as  instructive  to  have  some  knowledge  of  the 
nature,  ingredients,  and  relative  value  of  foodstuffs. 
We  know  so  little  on  the  subject  of  food,  and  eat  so 
carelessly,  that  we  are  practically  digging  our  graves 
with  our  teeth.  We  are  becoming  a  race  of  kidney- 
cides;  that  is,  we  wear  out  our  kidneys  by  excessive 
intake  of  food. 

Proper  diet  in  the  case  of  certain  diseases  will  aid 

in  restoring  persons  to  a  normal  state  of  health.    We 

42 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  43 

should  possess,  therefore,  a  working  knowledge  of  the 
functions,  digestibility,  and  caloric  value  of  certain 
foodstuffs.  Persons  doing  muscular  work  should 
have  different  kinds  of  meals  from  those  who  do 
mental  work  or  are  engaged  in  sedentary  occupa- 
tions. There  are  foods  which  have  a  tendency  to 
reduce  the  weight  and  some  which  tend  to  increase  it. 
Some  foods  are  more  nourishing  than  others  and 
produce  more  calories  (heat  units).  These  are  often 
small  in  bulk  or  volume  and  cheap  from  an  economic 
standpoint. 

HISTOEY    OF    FOOD    ADULTEEATION 

We  learn  from  Food  and  Drug  Control  Laws,  by 
Samuel  Jay  Crumbine,  M.D.,  in  "Reference  Hand- 
book of  the  Medical  Sciences,"  "England  in  the  four- 
teenth century  had  already  passed  laws  to  prevent 
the  adulteration  of  bread  and  wine  and  also  of  meat 
products.  Furthermore,  in  1387  several  London 
bakers  were  discovered  who  had  made  holes  in  their 
molding  boards  and  thus  retained  for  their  own 
use  the  amount  of  dough  that  these  holes  would 
hold  from  the  amount  of  dough  brought  to  them  by 
their  customers  to  be  baked.  The  Lord  Mayor 
had  these  thieving  bakers  placed  in  the  pillory  for 
six  hours  with  the  stolen  dough  tied  about  their 
necks.  On  another  occasion,  a  butcher  was  dis- 
covered who  had  washed  some  decomposed  meat  with 
a  solution  of  saltpeter  so  that  it  might  be  sold 
without  detection  of  its  pollution.  He  was  tied  to 
the  stake  and  the  putrid  meat  was  burned  under 
his  nose. 

"It   is   reported  that  a   London   saleswoman,  in 


44  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

1392,  thickened  the  bottom  of  the  quart  measure  she 
used  with  a  heavy  layer  of  pitch  so  as  to  give  short 
measure.  Punishment  was  given. 

"Germany  very  early  passed  laws  to  prevent  adul- 
teration. In  1428  one  Theobold  Werner  was  found 
guilty  of  selling  grossly  adulterated  wine;  he  was 
sentenced  to  a  fine  in  cash,  his  entire  supply  of  wine, 
with  the  exception  of  one  gallon,  was  confiscated  and 
emptied  into  the  Rhine,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  drink 
at  one  sitting  in  the  Court  House  the  one  gallon  that 
was  retained.  .  .  ." 

FOOD    ADULTERATION    "AT    HOME*' 

In  Pennsylvania  a  few  years  ago  the  Food  and 
Dairy  Commissioner,  Levi  Wells,  ascertained  "That 
chemical  companies  have  had  agents  traveling  regu- 
larly in  the  State  to  sell  butchers  chemicals  for  pre- 
serving meats,  the  favorite  being  apparently  boric 
acid,  which  is  certainly  deleterious  to  health.  The 
packages  are  labeled,  telling  how  the  chemicals  are 
to  be  used  on  meat." 

In  Connecticut,  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Sta- 
tion, a  few  years  ago,  gave  a  summary  of  the  extent 
to  which  frauds  are  practiced  on  consumers.  "Of 
sixty-three  samples  of  fruit- jellies,  two-thirds  were 
adulterated,  not  only  with  starch  and  glucose,  but 
with  aniline  dye  and  poisonous  salicylic  acid.  Out 
of  forty  samples  of  marmalades  and  jams  only  three 
were  pure.  Of  forty-seven  samples  of  beer  and  ale, 
twelve  contained  salicylic  acid  and  nineteen  samples 
of  sausages  and  oysters  were  found  'embalmed'  by 
boric  acid." 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  45 

A  FEW   CHEMICALS  EMPLOYED  IN  ADULTERATING  FOOD 

Before  taking  up  some  leading  phases  of  the  im- 
portant subject  of  adulteration  in  our  food,  it  will 
not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  a  few  of  the  chemicals 
and  antiseptics  employed  in  the  adulterating  proc- 
esses. For  this  information,  thanks  is  due  to  Dr. 
Harvey  Wiley,  former  chemist  to  U.  S.  Dept.  of 
Agriculture,  and  to  other  chemical  investigators. 

Salicylates.  Artificial  Salicylates  contain  impuri- 
ties (creasotic  acids)  that  act  very  injuriously  upon 
health.  Salicylates  are  employed  mainly  in  articles 
containing  sugar,  namely,  in  jams,  and  preserved 
fruits,  lime  and  lemon  juices,  syrups,  cider,  British 
wine  and  imported  lager.  Administered  in  fairly 
strong  solutions,  they  act  as  an  irritant  on  the  stom- 
ach and  kidneys,  and  sometimes  cause  skin  eruptions. 

A  pamphlet,  published  by  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture at  Washington,  states  that  the  use  of  sali- 
cylic acid  as  a  food  preservative  has  been  forbidden 
by  several  European  governments.  The  department 
found  it  (salicylic  acid)  in  fifteen  out  of  twenty  sam- 
ples of  string  beans,  in  ten  out  of  twelve  samples  of 
baked  beans,  in  twenty-four  out  of  forty-one  cases 
of  corn,  and  so  on. 

Benzoate  compounds  to  some  extent  have  taken 
the  place  of  salicylates,  partly  because  salicylates 
can  readily  be  detected  analytically,  while  benzoates 
are  not  quite  so  easily  discovered.  Their  antiseptic 
potency  and  perniciousness  are  both  considered 
equivalent  to  those  of  the  salicylates. 

Boric  Acid  (Boracic  Acid),  free  or  in  the  form  of 
borax,  is  the  most  commonly  used  chemical  preserva- 


46  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tive  for  butter,  cream,  ham,  sausages,  potted  meats, 
cured  fish,  and  sometimes  for  jams  and  preserved 
fruits. 

Saccharine  is  used  (instead  of  sugar)  in  making 
soda  water,  lemonade,  ginger  beer,  and  many  articles 
of  food  and  drink.  It  is  possessed  of  sweetness,  but 
no  nourishment,  and  causes  indigestion. 

Red  Oxide  of  Iron  or  Ochra  is  still  found  in  potted 
meats,  fish  sauces,  and  chocolates.  Cocoa  is  often 
adulterated  with  very  large  proportions  of  starch 
(sago,  arrowroot,  etc.),  to  which  is  added  red  oxide 
of  iron,  in  order  to  give  the  mixture  the  natural  color 
of  cocoa.  Another  adulterant  is  finely  ground  cocoa 
shell — a  perfectly  valueless  material — that  is  ad- 
mixed with  cocoa  of  the  commoner  kind. 

Formaldehyde  in  the  form  of  40  per  cent  solution 
under  the  name  of  Formalin  has  been  used  in  milk, 
in  the  past.  It  injures  the  digestive  processes. 

Copper.  Pickles  and  preserved  peas  have  pre- 
sented an  attractive  appearance  owing  to  the  pres- 
ence of  copper  in  their  preserving  process. 

China  Clay.  It  has  been  asserted  that  large  quan- 
tities of  china  clay  went  to  confectioners,  and  have 
been  used  to  stiffen  the  "icing"  of  cake. 

Arsenic.  All  commodities  that  are  treated  with 
sulphuric  acid  in  the  course  of  their  manufacture  are 
liable  to  be  contaminated  therewith.  Thus,  all  acids 
liberated  from  their  salts  by  sulphuric  acid,  such  as 
phosphoric,  tartaric,  citric  and  boracic  acids  may 
be  contaminated.  Many  other  extensively  used  arti- 
cles of  human  consumption,  including  glucose,  are 
often  found  to  be  arsenical,  while  red  oxide  of  iron 
is  invariably  so. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  47 

The  chemicals  used  to  preserve  our  food  and  drink 
have  become  a  serious  menace  to  health.  The  chances 
of  thousands  of  invalids  for  recovery  and  for  life 
depend  many  times  upon  their  getting  the  purest  of 
food.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  death  of  many 
invalids  is  often  caused  by  the  poisons  in  milk,  butter, 
and  meat,  poisons  which  have  been  purposely  put 
there  by  farmers,  grocers,  and  butchers  in  order  to 
save  trouble  or  avoid  the  risk  of  goods  spoiling 
on  their  hands. 

MEATS 

Inspection.  The  federal  meat  inspection  act  pro- 
vides for  the  antemortem  and  postmortem  inspec- 
tion of  all  animals  slaughtered  for  foods  that  are 
shipped  in  interstate  trade.  Approximately  sixty- 
five  per  cent  of  the  animals  are  slaughtered  in  federal 
inspected  packing  establishments,  which  leaves 
thirty-five  per  cent  slaughtered  in  local  slaughter 
houses.  The  very  fact  that  many  animals  are  dis- 
eased and  consequently  condemned  in  the  federal  in- 
spected slaughter  houses  tends  to  divert  such  dis- 
eased animals  to  establishments  having  no  inspection. 
Hence  the  importance  of  meat  inspection  for  all 
slaughtering  establishments.  If  inspection  is  neces- 
sary, then  let  us  have  it  done  thoroughly  so  that  no 
locality  is  missed. 

Harvey  D.  Wiley,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  in  his  book, 
"Foods  and  Their  Adulteration,"  says: 

"Among  cattle  the  most  frequent  organic  diseases  are  lumpy 
jaw  and  tuberculosis.  In  the  case  of  swine,  one  of  the  com- 
mon diseases  is  trichinosis.  Some  of  the  early  symptoms  of 
this  disease  are  diarrhoea,  nausea,  colic  and  fever;  and  later  it 
is  recognized  by  stiffness,  swelling  of  the  muscles,  fever,  sweat- 


48  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

ing,  and  insomnia.  In  case  of  trichinosis,  an  inspection  of  the 
vital  organs  of  the  animal  is  not  sufficient.  The  muscles  of  the 
swine,  first  and  most  commonly  affected  by  trichinosis,  must  be 
examined  microscopically  in  order  to  prevent  infected  animals 
being  sold  for  food.  This  meat  should  be  labeled  accordingly. 
The  consumer  would  thus  be  left  to  choose  for  himself  whether 
to  eat  such  meat  or  not.  .  .  . 

"A  special  distinction  must  be  made  between  meat  placed  in 
cold  storage  for  the  purpose  of  transportation  only  and  meat 
placed  in  cold  storage  to  be  kept  for  an  indefinite  time.  Where 
meats  are  prepared  for  consumption  by  slaughter  and  appro- 
priate dressing,  and  shipped  long  distances,  to  the  consumer, 
the  cold-storage  car,  ship,  and  warehouse  becomes  a  necessity. 
Whenever  meats  are  kept  in  cold  storage  so  long  as  to  afford 
the  opportunity  for  the  growth  of  mold,  or  to  undergo  other 
changes  of  a  chemical  or  physical  character,  which  distinguish 
them  from  the  fresh  products,  they  should  be  placed  in  a  dif- 
ferent class.  .  .  . 

"It  seems  that  the  cold  storage  system  introduced  of  late 
years  has  increased  the  risk  from  infected  meat.  Before  this 
system  was  introduced,  diseased  and  dangerous  meats  of  all 
kinds  could  be  readily  detected,  and  careful  inspection  by 
health  officers  minimized  the  risk.  With  the  advent  of  cold 
storage  methods  this  has  been  changed.  WTien  large  amounts 
are  being  stored  at  once  inspection  is  more  difficult,  and  when 
damaged  food  once  enters,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  trace 
its  history  or  to  recognize  it  later." 

EXTRACTS    FB.OM   THE    DAILY    PEESS 

1.  COLORING  OLEO  TO  DECEIVE  IS  FOUND  ILLEGAL 
Hartford,  Jan.  30,  1918.— Attorney  General  George  E.  Hin- 
man  has  advised  Dairy  Commissioner  Thomas  Holt  that  it  is 
unlawful  to  color  oleomargarine  by  any  process  that  will  make 
it  look  like  butter. 

2.     FAKE  SAUSAGE  BRINGS  FOOD  LAW 

PROSECUTION 

Rochester,  New  York,  Oct.  3,  1918.— As  the  result  of  an 
investigation  conducted  here  by  R.  A.  French,  Deputy  Com- 
missioner of  the  State  Department  of  Agriculture,  150  viola- 
tions of  the  food  laws  have  been  found  and  prosecution  begun. 
Adulterations  included  bread  crumbs  in  sausage  and  glue  in 
candy. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  49 

3.     KIDNEY  STEW  KILLS  BOY;  4  ILL  AND  IN 
HOSPITAL 

Mrs.  Madeline  Kehoe,  of  No.  7  East  85th  Street,  reported 
to  the  Third  Branch  Detective  Bureau  that  her  family  of  five 
had  become  suddenly  ill  after  eating  kidney  stew  for  dinner 
and  that  her  13-year-old  son,  John,  died  suddenly  before  mid- 
night. Assistant  Medical  Examiner  Lhrne,  after  an  examina- 
tion ordered  the  body  removed  to  the  morgue. 

Mrs.  Kehoe,  who  is  thirty-eight  years  old;  her  husband, 
Edward,  who  is  forty-two,  and  their  three  small  children  were 
taken  to  Bellevue  Hospital. 

4.    THIRTY  POUNDS  OF  BAD  MEAT  THROWN  FROM 
RESTAURANT 

Proprietor  Wanted  Another  Eating  Place  Investigated 
by   Health    Department 

Over  thirty  pounds  of  roast  beef  that  was  in  the  ice  box 
of  a  restaurant  of  this  city,  Bridgeport,  was  destroyed  by 
order  of  the  Health  Department  yesterday.  This  beef  was  in 
very  bad  shape  but  would  have  been  sold  to  patrons  of  the 
place  if  C.  Howard  Dunbar,  Chief  of  the  Sanitation  Division 
of  the  Health  Department,  had  not  appeared  at  the  restaurant 
to  look  at  some  plumbing  changes  that  he  had  ordered. 

The  wife  of  the  proprietor  stated  to  him  that  she  thought 
other  restaurants  should  be  made  to  be  more  sanitary,  men- 
tioning one  on  Stratford  Avenue.  The  inspector  assured  the 
woman  that  all  restaurants  were  given  the  same  treatment,  and 
more  than  just  the  plumbing  was  looked  over. 

"Let  me  look  in  your  ice  box,"  said  the  inspector.  "I  guess 
we  won't  need  to  start  with  any  other  restaurant,  we  will 
begin  right  here. 

"This  meat  is  not  fit  to  be  served  and  I  want  it  thrown  out." 
Considerable  wailing  and  objection  was  raised  but  the  inspector 
stood  like  a  rock  and  the  beef  was  consigned  to  the  garbage 
can  and  carted  away. 

A  thorough  going-over  of  the  foods  of  this  restaurant  was 
done  by  Dunbar  and  no  unfit  meat  was  served  in  that  place 
after  he  left  yesterday.  The  campaign  to  keep  the  sanitation 
of  the  restaurants  of  the  town  correct  and  to  see  that  only 
proper  food  is  served  does  not  cease  for  a  moment  and  in- 
spectors are  visiting  all  hours  of  the  day  various  eating  places 
of  the  city. 


50  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

5.    NAVY   FINDS   TONS   OF    MEAT   TAINTED 

Officer  Tells  of  Rejecting  Hundreds  of  Thousands  of  Pounds 
from  Wilson  &  Co. 

New  York,  June  19,  1918. — Hundreds  of  thousands  of  pounds 
of  meat  furnished  by  Wilson  &  Co.,  Chicago  packers,  for  use 
on  American  war  ships,  has  been  rejected  because  not  in  good 
condition.  Captain  C.  S.  Williams,  U.  S.  N.,  testified  to-day 
at  the  inquiry  by  the  Federal  Trade  Commission  into  charges 
that  bad  meat  is  furnished  the  navy. 

Capt.  Williams,  when  asked  if  he  had  ever  rejected  any  meat 
from  Wilson  &  Company  replied:  "Yes,  I  have  rejected  a 
great  many  hundred  thousands  of  pounds.  One  lot  consisted  of 
300,000  pounds  of  smoked  ham."  The  reason  it  was  rejected, 
Captain  Williams  said,  was  because  it  was  "Sour  and  Smeary." 


PRINCIPAL   ADULTERATIONS    OF    MIXED    AND    POTTED 
MEATS 

Starch  being  abundant,  cheap,  and  a  great  profit- 
producer  becomes  the  chief  adulterizing  material.  It 
appears  particularly  in  sausage  and  prepared  meats. 
Starch  increases  not  only  the  bulk  and  weight  of 
goods,  but  it  prevents  undue  shrinkage  in  the  process 
of  cooking.  Other  preservatives  used  are  borax, 
boric  acid,  sulphite  of  soda  and  benzoic  acid.  Dyes 
are  frequently  used  for  coloring  sausages  and  other 
minced  meats. 

Canned  Sausage  should  have  "a  clean  bill  of 
health"  from  every  local  inspector  the  same  as  any 
other  meat  food.  There  is,  perhaps,  more  room  for 
deception  in  the  manufacture  of  sausage  than  in  al- 
most any  other  form  of  comminuted  meat.  Pre- 
sumably sausage  is  made  almost  exclusively  of  beef 
and  pork,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  much  which  is  not 
eaten  under  its  own  name  may  be  found  in  sausage. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  51 

FISH 

In  those  countries  where  fish  is  the  chief  form  of 
animal  food  there  arises  not  infrequently  severe  out- 
breaks of  acute  poisoning.  In  our  country  poisoning 
from  canned  fish  has  been  repeatedly  observed.  As 
in  the  case  of  meat,  fish  may  become  poisonous,  either 
as  a  result  of  being  diseased  or  from  being  improp- 
erly preserved. 

On  the  subject  of  Poisonous  Fish,  in  "Reference 
Handbook  of  the  Medical  Sciences,"  Dr.  Frederick 
G.  Novy,  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  says,  in 
part: 

"It  is  well  to  remember  that  some  fish  are  always  poisonous 
either  as  the  result  of  the  presence  of  poisonous  glands  or  as 
a  result  of  eating  certain  kinds  of  food,  while  others  may  be- 
come poisonous  during  the  spawning  season. 

"Epidemic  diseases  among  fish  have  been  observed  by  a 
number  of  investigators.  Sieber,  in  1895,  found  that  the  fish 
in  an  aquarium,  from  which  some  had  been  taken  to  supply  a 
table  and  had  proven  poisonous,  were  sick  and  that  as  many 
as  thirty  died  within  the  next  two  days. 

"Arustamoff,  in  1891,  observed  eleven  cases  of  fish  poisoning, 
five  of  which  proved  fatal.  Dullard  reported  fatal  poisoning 
following  the  use  of  canned  salmon.  The  can  was  blown  and 
the  contents  were  partially  decomposed.  The  one  who  ate 
last  became  ill  in  about  twelve  hours  and  died  in  five  days, 
while  three  others  recovered." 


MARKETING  OF  FISH  AND   COLD  STOEAGE 

Cold  storage  injuriously  affects  the  quality  of  fish. 
Dangerous  and  sometimes  fatal  results  may  follow 
the  eating  of  spoiled  fish. 

Adulteration  of  salmon,  from  canning  an  inferior 
grade  or  even  a  different  kind  of  fish  under  the  name 


52  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

of  a  better  species,  has  been  a  common  thing  in  the 
past.  The  deception  is  also  practiced  in  the  packing 
and  selling  of  sardines. 

Oysters.  A  great  deal  can  be  advised  concerning 
the  propagation,  age,  size,  cultivation,  shipping, 
floating  and  adulteration  of  oysters,  especially  when 
canned.  An  old  commercial  scheme  in  the  oyster 
business  is  to  soak  them  in  water  in  order  to  swell 
them  and  make  them  appear  larger.  The  chief 
adulterants  of  oysters  are  formaldehyde  and  boric 
acid. 

SABDINES 

You  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  small  herring 
along  the  coast  of  Maine  are  put  up  as  sardines, 
despite  the  fact  that  they  are  different  from  real 
sardines  in  many  respects.  In  packing  sardines, 
olive  oil  is  usually  employed,  although  some  prefer 
to  heat  the  fish  in  peanut  oil,  claiming  that  it  gives 
them  a  better  color.  In  reality  this  is  done  because 
the  peanut  oil  is  cheaper.  Do  not  forget  that  there 
are  various  grades  of  olive  oil,  and  we  do  not  always 
get  the  best.  Some  of  the  substitutes  for  olive  oils 
usually  employed  are  cotton  seed  oil,  peanut  oil 
and  sesane  oil. 

VEGETARIANISM 

The  more  one  studies  the  subject  of  food,  espe- 
cially the  adulteration  of  foods,  the  more  he  will  dis- 
card meat  as  a  food.  The  more  familiar  one  is  with 
the  history  of  food  adulteration,  the  chemicals  em- 
ployed in  adulterating  foods,  inspection  of  meats, 
methods  of  preserving  meats,  cold  storage,  diseases 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  53 

of  cattle,  canned  meats,  potted  meats,  sausage, 
adulteration  of  lard  and  the  like,  the  less  will  he 
care  for  meat. 

The  question  sometimes  arises :  Can  we  live  with- 
out meat  ?  The  writer  believes  that  we  can  live  clean- 
er, healthier,  and  longer  without  it  than  with  it. 
There  would  undoubtedly  be  less  disease  in  this  world 
if  the  human  race  did  not  eat  animal  flesh.  We  now 
know  that  we  need  less  protein  (muscle  builders) 
than  was  formerly  thought  necessary;  that  a  diet 
too  rich  in  protein  is  harmful.  We  must  not  forget 
that  many  foods  of  vegetable  origin  contain  a  rea- 
sonable amount  of  protein  and  that  a  few  of  them 
contain  a  rather  large  amount.  We  are  therefore 
able  to  understand  the  claim  of  the  vegetarian  that 
we  can  live  entirely  without  meat,  and  yet  nourish 
and  sustain  a  good,  clean,  and  healthy  life. 

By  a  proper  balancing  of  food,  thousands  of  vege- 
tarians live,  and  live  well,  on  a  meatless  diet.  Some 
of  our  greatest  scientists,  artists,  and  thinkers  have 
been  and  are  vegetarians.  Many  athletes  avoid  ani- 
mal food  for  a  long  time  previous  to  a  contest.  And 
in  almost  every  long-distance  race,  where  endurance 
is  the  test,  and  where  both  vegetarians  and  meat  eat- 
ers have  participated,  the  vegetarians  have  been  the 
winners. 

Dr.  B.  Liber,  in  "Talks  on  Rational  Living,"  says : 

"The  average  man  has  a  vague  idea  that  meat  is  indis- 
pensable for  his  welfare,  because  his  body  is  largely  composed 
of  flesh  and  muscles.  This  ancient  belief  clings  obstinately 
in  the  minds  of  the  people  and  is  difficult  to  eradicate.  The 
meat  eater  will  not  understand  that  his  body  is  able  to  take 
material  for  the  formation  of  muscles  from  other  food  than 
meat.  And  still  it  should  not  be  difficult  to  take  the  example 


54  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

of  those  large,  powerful,  resisting,  enduring,  muscular  animals 
like  the  horse,  steer,  camel,  and  elephant,  that  use  vegetable 
food  only. 

"It  may  be  true  that  vegetable  food  as  a  whole  is  more 
difficult  to  digest  than  meat,  because  of  the  hard  membranes 
of  the  plant  cells,  yet  we  must  say  that  such  difficulty  is  de- 
sirable, as  it  keeps  the  digestive  organs  in  good  working  con- 
dition. That  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  constipation,  with 
all  its  complications,  is  rarely  among  vegetarians.  The  final 
result  of  a  meat  diet  is  often  disastrous  because  of  the  harm- 
ful residue  originating  from  the  meat. 

"Some  physicians,  not  having  tried  a  vegetarian  diet  them- 
selves, dissuade  their  patients  from  it.  Even  they  must  rec- 
ognize that  a  number  of  chronic  cases  which  shorten  our  exist- 
ence after  making  it  miserable  for  some  time,  are  attributed 
by  most  medical  writers  to  meat  eating." 

From  "The  Folly  of  Meat-Eating,"  by  O.  Carque, 
we  quote: 

"The  idea  that  meat  contains  some  nourishing  ingredients 
which  cannot  be  found  in  plant  foods  is  entirely  erroneous. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  find  in  plant  foods  such  as  fruits,  nuts, 
and  vegetables  in  their  endless  variety  the  needs  of  our  body, 
especially  the  organic  salts  in  far  larger  proportions  and  in  a 
much  purer  form  than  in  flesh  foods.  Furthermore,  meat  lacks 
the  subtle,  imponderable,  vitalizing  principles  of  the  products 
of  the  soil,  which  are  ripened  directly  by  the  enlivening  rays 
of  the  sun. 

"There  is  a  considerable  amount  of  sodium,  calcium,  iron, 
sulphur  and  magnesium  in  fruits  while  they  are  somewhat 
deficient  of  chlorine,  which  is  principally  contained  in  vege- 
tables. Fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  are  therefore  indispensable 
for  our  system;  they  must  always  form  the  larger  part  of  our 
bill  of  fare.  The  high  amount  of  potassium  in  fruits  and 
vegetables  is  explained  by  the  circumstance  that  it  serves  as  a 
base  for  the  needful  antiseptic  fruit  acids  and  in  this  com- 
bination the  element  has  quite  a  different  character  than  in 
other  foods.  Nuts,  legumes,  and  cereals  which  have  an  abund- 
ance of  protein,  furnish  especially,  magnesium,  an  element 
giving  our  bones  a  certain  flexibility  making  them  less  fragile. 
Nuts  contain  on  an  average,  fifty  percent  of  fat  and  are  the 
most  nutritious  products  of  nature." 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  55 

Science  has  proven  undoubtedly  that,  anatomically 
and  physiologically,  man  is  so  built  that  he  can 
easily  get  along  without  meat.  Let  any  one  who  is 
not  prejudiced  try  a  well-chosen  vegetarian  diet; 
look  up  the  very  long  and  rich  list  of  cereals,  vege- 
tables, fruits  and  nuts  with  their  infinite  varieties. 
Let  him  also  find  out  the  many  ways  they  can  be 
eaten  raw,  the  many  more  ways  they  can  be  pre- 
pared; let  him  combine  them  properly  and  he  will 
seldom,  if  ever,  return  to  meat. 

EGGS FRESH   AND    OTHERWISE 

The  average  cold  storage  egg  is  more  than  six 
months  old.  At  this  age,  the  eggs  have  lost  their 
original  wholesomeness.  As  such,  eggs  are  largely 
used  for  baking  purposes  and  escape  detection  by  the 
consumer.  Eventually  they  are  eaten  in  the  form 
of  cake,  pies  and  pastry  by  the  would-be  objector  to 
such  eggs,  the  only  difference  being  that  now  he  pays 
more  for  the  same  eggs  and  they  are  older  than  when 
he  first  rejected  them.  It  is  as  if  the  cold  storage 
egg  said,  "You  will  eat  me  eventually,  Mr.  Helpless 
Consumer,  why  not  now?" 

The  real  story  of  the  preservation  of  eggs,  broken, 
and  dried,  and  egg  substitutes  is  the  story  of  Amer- 
ican dyspepsia.  (The  egg  business  seems  to  be  a 
kind  of  "second  cousin"  to  the  meat  business.)  For 
the  broken  egg  business,  the  eggs  are  collected, 
broken;  then  mixed  together  in  containers,  often  as 
large  as  barrels,  and  preserved  with  borax  or  other 
preserving  agents.  The  eggs  are  generally  kept 
from  three  to  eight  or  nine  months,  and  then  sold. 
How  do  we  know  that  a  stale,  broken,  spotted,  sickly 


56  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

looking  egg  did  not  find  its  way  into  this  tank,  barrel 
or  tin  can? 

MILK  AND   PASTEURIZATION 
* 

A  veterinary  surgeon  should  examine  cows  at  reg- 
ular intervals,  and  be  especially  on  the  lookout  for 
the  tuberculosis  to  which  any  cow  is  subject.  As 
to  the  manner  of  examining  and  testing  the  cows, 
by  the  injection  of  a  serum  (tuberculin  test),  to  as- 
certain whether  or  not  the  animal  has  tuberculosis, 
many  sanitarians  differ.  Some  experts  believe  that 
this  method  pollutes  the  cow's  blood,  and  conse- 
quently weakens  the  cow's  power  of  resistance  by 
lowering  her  vitality,  and  if  anything  renders  her 
more  susceptible  to  develop  this  disease.  An  expert 
veterinary  can,  within  reasonable  time,  by  means  of 
physical  diagnosis  find  out  the  physical  condition 
of  the  cow,  without  inoculating  serums,  or  any  other 
artificial  substance. 

Pasteurizing  milk  means  heating  it  to  a  tempera- 
ture of  about  140  to  160  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Most 
hygienists  are  agreed  that  pasteurized  milk  is  in- 
ferior to  natural  milk.  There  is  no  need  of  pasteur- 
izing unless  it  seems  necessary  to  keep  it  a  long  time. 
The  cow  herself  is  the  best  pasteurizing  agency.  A 
clean  thing  does  not  have  to  be  cleaned.  It  is  filth 
that  needs  cleaning,  boiling,  scrubbing,  or  pasteuriz- 
ing. The  best  way  to  guarantee  pure  milk,  is  to  see 
that  you  get  it  from  a  healthy  cow.  A  healthy  cow 
is  the  result  of  properly  ventilated,  clean  stables, 
pure  water,  good  and  wholesome  food,  and  exercise. 
This  is  the  natural  way. 

It  is  a  disputed  question  among  modern  dietitians, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  57 

whether  or  not  milk  of  the  cow  should  serve  as  a 
food  for  man.  An  infant's  digestive  apparatus  is 
better  adapted  to  the  proper  digestion  of  milk  than 
that  of  an  adult's.  When  milk  enters  the  stomach 
of  an  infant,  it  easily  enters  the  intestines  where  it  is 
digested.  In  the  adult  stomach,  which  secretes  more 
acid,  and  gastric  juice,  milk  forms  large,  tough 
curds,  which  are  not  easily  digested.  Babies  should 
be  fed  on  mother's  milk  in  preference  to  any  other. 
After  all,  cow's  milk  is  a  splendid  food  for  calves,  but 
not  for  human  beings.  Curds  formed  by  cow's  milk 
are  entirely  different  from  those  of  human  milk  and 
are  adapted  only  for  the  particular  digestive  appa- 
ratus of  the  calf.  It  would  seem  that  nature  has 
provided  milk  in  the  cow  for  the  benefit  of  her  off- 
spring only. 

BUTTER 

The  practice  of  artificially  coloring  butter,  usually 
with  coal  tar  (anilin)  dyes  is  not  conducive  to  health 
or  strength.  Were  butter  made  for  purposes  of  con- 
sumption instead  of  profit,  there  would  be  no  need 
of  an  artificially  colored  substance.  The  truth  is, 
the  natural  color  of  butter  is  more  attractive  than 
the  artificial.  But  we  are  so  accustomed  to  artificial 
foods,  that  we  can  hardly  value  the  natural  products. 

OLEOMARGARINE 

Years  ago,  artificially  colored  oleomargarines,  re- 
sembling butter,  paid  an  internal  revenue  tax  of  ten 
cents  per  pound.  Uncolored  oleomargarine  paid  a 
revenue  of  only  one-fourth  cent  per  pound.  Appar- 
ently then  it  paid  the  manufacturer  to  pay  the  dif- 


58  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

ference  of  9%  cents  per  pound  for  artificially  col- 
ored oleomargarine. 

Some  writers  on  the  subject  believe  that  oleomar- 
garine can  be  made  under  sanitary  conditions,  from 
sanitary  raw  materials,  and  in  such  cases  prove 
wholesome  and  nutritious.  We  doubt  whether  "it 
would  pay"  the  manufacturer  to  be  "so  particular" 
about  his  selling  products.  Oleomargarine  will  be 
sold  as  long  as  ignorance  and  poverty  exist.  Poor 
people  cannot  afford  pure  butter,  and  ignorant  peo- 
ple of  course  would  not  know  the  difference  if  they 
had  substitutes  in  them.  Even  rich  people  use  oleo- 
margarine as  a  result  of  the  skillful  advertising  cam- 
paigns inaugurated  by  the  manufacturers. 

JAMS,    JELLIES,    AND    PRESERVES 

The  practice  of  using  immature,  waste,  partially 
deformed  or  decayed  fruit  for  the  preparation  of 
jams,  jellies  and  preserves  cannot  be  too  strongly 
condemned.  Dr.  Harvey  D.  Wiley  gives  us  some 
more  interesting  statistics : 

"Fifty-eight  samples  of  jams  which  proved  to  be 
adulterated  were  bought  on  the  open  market  by  the 
Bureau  of  Chemistry,  none  of  which  bore  any  label 
or  description  indicating  that  it  was  an  adulterated 
article.  The  quantity  of  sulphate  and  chloride  in 
the  samples  is  always  very  considerably  increased 
over  that  of  the  natural  product.  In  two  samples 
the  alleged  jam  contained  no  fruit  product  what- 
ever. In  many  cases,  more  than  70%  was  found  and 
in  one  instance  as  high  as  76%.  In  a  great  majority 
of  the  cases  the  glucose  is  approximately  one-half 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  59 

of  the  whole  weight  of  the  jam.     Artificial  coloring 
matter  was  present  in  almost  every  case." 

Our  only  excuse  for  buying  these  is  that  they 
"taste  so  good." 

CANNED    VEGETABLES 

We  have  little  use  for  any  of  the  canned  foods. 
We  do  not  mean  to  insinuate  that  all  canned  foods 
are  bad.  They  have  some  function,  serve  some  need 
in  all  probability,  but  so  long  as  there  are  plenty  of 
fresh  vegetables  in  existence,  for  all  the  people,  why 
should  we  can  them,  preserve  them,  or  put  them  in 
storage?  Wholesome,  domestic  preserving  of  food 
without  the  use  of  artificial  coloring  matter  or  chem- 
icals should  be  encouraged. 

Starch  and  saccharin  have  formed  leading  adulter- 
ants in  canned  corn.  Why  should  the  poor  consumer 
be  irritated  with  saccharin  poison  or  starch,  when 
he  can  live  happier  without  it?  If  he  needs  any 
chemical  like  saccharin,  let  him  take  it  under  the 
direction  of  a  physician,  and  not  at  the  profitable 
whims  and  fancies  of  the  manufacturer.  One  must 
also  be  on  the  lookout  for  souring  and  swelling  of 
these  canned  products.  The  tin  can  becomes  an 
important  factor. 

In  canned  peas  we  meet  with  sulphate  of  copper  as 
the  principal  form  of  adulteration.  The  purpose 
of  copper  compound  is  to  produce  a  green  color. 
Although  copper  has  not  been  used  much  in 
our  country,  yet  it  has  had  its  day.  Saccharin  is 
largely  used  to  imitate  the  natural  sweetness  of  the 
pea. 


60  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

CANNED    FBUITS 

Canned  Tomatoes  undergo  practically  the  same 
process  as  canned  corn.  Only  fresh,  ripe,  and  sound 
tomatoes  should  be  used  in  the  preparation  of  the 
canned  goods.  Who  said  that  "a  spoiled"  tomato 
ever  made  its  way  to  the  can  ?  Perish  the  thought ! 

In  the  case  of  canned  cherries,  canned  peaches,  and 
other  such  canned  goods,  one  of  the  chief  dangers  is 
the  galvanic  action  which  the  cherry  or  peach  juice 
sets  up  in  the  tin,  which  tends  to  bleach  their  natural 
color  and  also  to  produce  poisonous  salts  of  tin 
and  lead  from  the  contents  of  the  can. 

Fruit  Syrups  have  not  been  free  from  adulteration. 
The  chemicals  usually  employed  in  the  preserving 
of  fruit  syrups  are  salicylic  and  benzoic  acids.  Most 
persons  who  frequent  the  "soda  fount"  do  not  think 
of  the  adulterations  they  have  to  swallow.  And  then 
they  wonder  why  their  stomachs  sometimes  revolt. 

FBUITS 

THE  APPLE,  sometimes  termed  "The  King  of 
Fruits,"  is  one  of  the  principal  fruits  on  the  market. 
The  greatest  damage  to  which  the  apple  is  subjected 
is  the  ravage  of  insects,  for  which  antiseptic  sprays 
have  been  applied.  When  eating  raw  apples,  one 
should  remove  the  peeling. 

Many  a  banana  never  yellowed  on  the  tree  where 
it  grew.  Oranges  are  sometimes  sweated  into  ma- 
turity. No  wonder  the  people  "sweat"  (as  a  result 
of  eating  them)  later. 

ARTIFICIAL    COLORING 

Artificial  coloring  has  not  as  yet  outlived  its  use- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  61 

fulness.  Apparently  some  canners  believe  that  a 
little  coloring  matter,  now  and  then,  is  good  for  our 
health, — an  invigorating  stomach  tonic,  as  it  were! 

Tomato  Ketchup  is  supposed  to  consist  of  the  pulp 
of  sound,  ripe  tomatoes  mixed  with  various  condi- 
mental  substances  and  flavoring  agents.  I  should 
not  swear  that  every  tomato  that  is  converted  into  a 
little  tomato  ketchup  is  one-hundred-per-cent  ripe 
and  wholesome. 

It  has  been  said  that  coloring  matter  is  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  tomato  ketchup;  that  unripe 
tomatoes  are  at  certain  times  cooked  in  large  quan- 
tities, treated  with  benzoic  acid,  and  stored  away  in 
large  containers,  until  the  canning  season  is  over, 
after  which  this  material  is  made  into  ketchup  and 
artificially  colored.  How  true  this  is,  the  writer 
does  not  know,  but  judging  from  what  has  been  done 
in  other  lines  of  food,  this  would  not  be  surprising. 

SUGAR 

In  some  countries  white  sugars  have  been  adul- 
terated with  terra  alba  (either  ground  silicate, 
ground  gypsum,  or  ground  chalk)  and  white  flour. 
Sometimes  sulphurous  acid  may  adhere  to  the  fin- 
ished product  as  a  result  of  its  use  in  the  clarifying 
process.  Marine  blue  sometimes  attached  itself  to 
sugar  crystals,  when  bluing  is  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture. Salts  of  tin  have  been  used  in  washing  sugar 
granule.  Dextrose  made  from  starch  (starch  sugar) 
has  been  mixed  with  sugar. 

On  the  subject  of  Sugar  Alfred  McCann,  food  ex- 
pert, very  interestingly  writes  in  Physical  Culture 
(February,  1918)  :— 


62  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

"Sugar  became  popular  because,  as  our  mothers 
and  grandmothers  knew  it,  there  was  good  reason 
for  using  it  generously.  Not  only  was  it  far  more 
flavorful,  it  was  incomparably  more  nutritious  than 
the  refined  products  of  modern  times,  upon  which  we 
are  gorging  ourselves  at  the  expense  of  teeth,  blood, 
bone  and  tissue. 

"Twenty-five  years  ago,  old-fashioned  brown  sugar 
manufactured  on  the  sugar  cane  plantation,  was  in 
common  use.  Such  sugar  possessed  not  only  all  the 
sweetness  of  the  cane,  but  also  all  of  its  aromatic 
and  nutritive  substances,  including  mineral  salts, 
which  are  no  longer  present. 

"In  the  old  days  when  Louisiana  was  producing 
brown  sugar,  and  when  the  West  Indies  manufac- 
tured the  same  clean  and  wholesome  article,  the  re- 
finers, grasping  at  ways  and  means  of  earning  greater 
profits,  conceived  the  idea  that  if  they  could  preju- 
dice the  people  against  brown  sugar,  nobody  would 
buy  it.  So  they  started  to  drive  out  of  the  American 
market  all  the  old-fashioned  brown  sugar  then  made 
on  the  cane  plantations.  To  kill  off  the  demand, 
it  was  necessary  to  disgust  the  people  with  all  brown 
sugar.  To  accomplish  this,  they  inaugurated  one 
of  the  most  violent  advertising  campaigns  ever  wit- 
nessed in  this  country.  In  1898  they  were  ready  to 
'educate'  the  public,  and  educate  it  they  did.  Their 
advertisements  consisted  of  an  attack  upon  brown 
sugar.  Each  one  was  accompanied  by  a  picture, 
said  to  be  an  enlarged  photograph  of  a  dreadful 
looking  animal  described  as  a  cross  between  a  louse 
and  a  lizard.  One  of  the  advertisements,  which  I 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  63 

quote  word  for  word  from  the  Congressional  Record, 
reads  as  follows: — 

"  'Professor  Cameron,  public  analyst  of  the  city  of  Dublin, 
who  has  examined  samples  of  raw  sugar,  states  that  it  contains 
great  numbers  of  disgusting  insects,  which  produce  a  dis- 
gusting disease.  The  shape  of  these  insects  is  very  accurately 
shown  in  the  accompanying  photographs,  magnified  two  hun- 
dred diameters.  It  is  a  formidably  organized,  exceedingly  ugly 
little  animal.  From  its  oval-shaped  body  stretches  forth  a 
proboscis  terminating  in  a  kind  of  scissors,  with  which  it  seizes 
upon  its  food.  The  number  of  these  creatures  found  in  raw 
sugar  is  sometimes  exceedingly  great  and  in  no  instance  is  raw 
sugar  quite  free  from  either  the  insects  or  their  eggs.  Brown 
sugar  should  never  be  used.  It  is  fortunate,  however,  to  note 
that  these  terrible  creatures  do  not  occur  in  refined  sugar 
of  any  quality.  Use  only  refined  sugar.' 

"Our  grandmothers  were  horrified.  Wherever 
they  looked  they  saw  a  picture  of  the  louse-lizard 
monster.  They  saw  the  dreadful  creature  in  all  their 
desserts  and  dainties  and  so  the  brown  sugar  indus- 
try, as  far  as  the  housewife  was  concerned,  was 
completely  destroyed." 

CONCLUDING   REMARKS 

It  is  hoped  that  this  brief  discussion  of  facts  and 
views  on  the  subject  "Food  Adulterations"  will 
stimulate  interest  in  and  thought  on  this  vital  prob- 
lem. The  reader  may  secure  more  details  and  inter- 
esting facts  on  the  subject  by  writing  to  the  United 
States  Department  of  Agriculture.  For  further 
study  of  the  subject  I  should  refer  the  reader  to 
the  following: 

"Foods  and  Their  Adulterations,"  by  Harvey  J. 
Wiley,  Ph.D.,  M.D.  (Blakiston). 


64  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

"The  Science  of  Eating,"  by  Alfred  W.  McCann 
(Doran). 

Food  and  Drug  Control  Laws  (an  article),  by 
S.  J.  Crumbine,  M.D.,  in  "Reference  Handbook  of 
the  Medical  Sciences." 

Food  Poisons  (an  article),  by  Frederick  G.  Novy, 
M.D.,  in  "Reference  Handbook  of  the  Medical 
Sciences." 

"Diet,  the  Way  to  Health,"  by  R.  Swinburne  Cly- 
mer,  M.D.  (Quakertown,  Pa.). 


FASTING 

The  term  fasting  may  be  defined  as  the  voluntary 
abstinence  from  ingesting  food.  In  other  words,  it 
is  the  voluntary  depriving  of  one's  self  of  food  for 
an  unusual  length  of  time.  The  terms  "fasting," 
"starvation"  and  "inanition"  are  sometimes  confused. 
Starvation  may  be  defined  as  an  involuntary  condi- 
tion, in  which  abstinence  from  food  exists,  which  if 
continued  will  result  in  death.  Chronic  starvation 
is  the  phrase  applied  to  a  physiological  condition, 
resulting  from  a  long  period  of  involuntary  depriva- 
tion of  food.  Many  such  cases  may  be  found  in  most 
industrial  centers  of  the  earth,  especially  after 
workers  have  been  out  of  employment  a  long  time. 
Inanition  is  a  pathological  or  diseased  condition  of 
the  body,  characterized  by  inability  to  assimilate  or 
appropriate  food.  Cancer  or  certain  mechanical  ob- 
structions of  the  digestive  tract,  for  example,  may 
destroy  one's  ability  to  receive  and  retain  food  in 
either  solid  or  liquid  form. 

Students  of  hygiene  and  applied  physiology  learn 
among  other  things,  that  health  and  happiness 
thrive  most,  when  and  where  auto-intoxication  (self- 
accumulating  of  toxins  or  waste-matter  in  the  body) 
exists  least,  or  is  at  a  minimum;  and  further  that 
fastmg  is  an  ideal  eliminator  of  accumulated  end- 
products  or  toxins,  as  well  as  a  general  restorative. 

That  is  the  scientific  reason  for  the  voluntary  absti- 

65 


66  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

nence  of  food  as  a  health  measure  that  we  commonly 
term  fasting. 

Hippocrates,  the  "father"  of  medicine,  said: 
"Our  diet  should  consist  of  remedies,  and  our  reme- 
dies should  be  our  diet."  If  the  human  family  would 
only  learn  to  eat  for  efficiency,  strength,  health  and 
longevity,  instead  of  eating  in  worship  of  their  bodies, 
what  a  wholesome  and  better  world  we  would  all  be 
living  in!  Under  such  circumstances  fasting  would 
seldom  be  necessary.  We  make  cemeteries  and  junk 
shops  of  our  betrayed,  ignored  stomachs.  We  are 
gluttons,  and  for  that  reason  there  are  so  many 
diseased  conditions  and  high  mortality  rates. 

It  is  true  that  thousands  of  people  have  not 
enough  to  eat,  yet,  as  a  nation,  we  eat  too  much. 
Those  who  have  enough  usually  overeat.  We  could 
live  on  one-half  of  what  we  eat.  Social  indolence  not 
only  permits  thousands  to  die  prematurely  because 
of  malnutrition  and  undernourishment,  but  it  also 
kills  thousands  by  over-feeding,  over-drinking,  under- 
working, under-thinking,  over-sleeping  and  under- 
sleeping  them. 

Fasting  is  instinctively  practiced  by  the  lower 
animals  living  in  their  natural  state,  when  they  be- 
come ill.  After  studying  the  subject  of  fasting,  with- 
out prejudice,  one  learns  that  fasting,  for  a  reason- 
able length  of  time,  is  a  wonderful  means  of  con- 
serving the  vital  powers  of  an  individual,  of  correct- 
ing conditions  of  disordered  nutrition  and  assimila- 
tion, of  increasing  the  activity  of  all  the  eliminative 
organs,  of  stimulating  circulation  of  the  fluids  of 
the  body,  and  of  acting  as  a  tonic  to  the  nervous 
system. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  67 

Fasting  is  undoubtedly  a  curative  agent  because 
it  purifies  our  interior  mechanism  when  it  increases 
action  on  the  part  of  the  eliminative  organs,  such  as 
the  kidneys,  skin,  bowels,  and  lungs,  and  also,  be- 
cause it  gives  a  needed  vacation  to  the  over-worked 
digestive  and  assimilative  organs.  Of  course,  water 
may  always  be  taken  in  moderate  quantities,  as  it 
assists  nature  in  dissolving  and  eliminating  the  waste 
matter  that  we  accumulate  in  our  systems  from 
adulterated  food,  impure  water,  smoke  and  dust. 

What  we  have  become  accustomed  to  look  upon 
as  "nourishment"  is  in  reality  the  means  or  source 
of  auto-intoxication  from  which  most  people  suffer 
to-day,  a  condition  which  manifests  itself  in  the 
form  of  constipation,  headaches,  difficult  breathing, 
bad  taste  in  the  mouth,  decayed  teeth  and  the  like. 
Take  for  example  any  fever  case:  You  will  notice 
that  the  patient  does  not  want  to  eat.  He  craves 
water  merely.  Why?  Because  nature  by  means  of 
this  fever  is  already  trying  to  eliminate  the  waste 
accumulated  in  the  system.  This  fever  is  the  oxidiz- 
ing or  burning-up  method  nature  employs.  While 
this  process  continues  the  individual  in  whom  this 
incineration  is  going  on,  abhors  food  and  rightly  so. 
While  he  is  fasting,  nature  rids  him  of  the  poisons 
and  he  soon  recovers.  Nature  always  comes  to  our 
rescue,  if  we  do  not  interfere  with  her.  But,  strange 
as  it  may  seem,  the  first  thing  the  "innocent  by- 
stander" (mother  or  wife)  will  ask,  is,  "Doctor, 
what  shall  he  eat?"  You  see,  we  are  a  race  of 
stomach  worshipers.  We  do  not  stop  to  think — we 
do  not  employ  will  power.  Instead  of  mother  or  the 
kind  neighbor  telling  the  patient  "He  looks  better," 


68  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

or  "Do  not  eat  if  not  hungry,"  or  "Give  nature  a 
chance,"  she  will  worry  the  patient  with,  "Oh,  my! 
why  don't  you  eat?"  and,  "Are  you  going  to  let  the 
doctor  starve  you?" 

Weak  people  should  not  fast  more  than  a  few 
days  at  a  time  when  commencing  unless  they  are 
under  the  care  of  an  expert.  Sometimes  a  little 
lemon  juice  or  orange  juice  is  permissible. 

There  are  patients  for  whom  fasting  cannot  and 
should  not  be  prescribed,  as  anemic  persons,  but, 
with  most  people,  especially  those  of  robust  and 
adipose  dispositions,  fasting  occasionally  will  be  a 
wonderful  restorative  to  the  physical,  mental,  and 
psychic  system. 


BATHING  AND  SWIMMING 

Just  as  uncleanliness  is  the  parent  of  so-called 
"contagious"  disease,  so  is  cleanliness  a  preventive 
of  disease.  Internal  cleanliness  is  as  important  if 
not  more  important  than  external  cleanliness. 

The  skin  is  an  eliminative  as  well  as  protective 
organ,  having  for  its  function,  through  its  system 
of  little  sewers  or  pores,  the  throwing  out  from  the 
blood  stream  about  one-half  of  its  accumulated  im- 
purities. The  important  role  of  the  skin  in  maintain- 
ing health  is  evident  when  we  learn  that  there  are 
over  twenty  miles  of  perspiratory  tubes  engaged  in 
the  elimination  of  waste  matter. 

The  uncleanly  accumulation  of  dirt  on  the  skin  is 
probably  as  injurious  to  the  health  as  is  constipation 
of  the  intestines  or  suppression  of  the  urinary  func- 
tions of  the  kidneys.  The  skin  as  well  as  the  kidney 
and  intestinal  organs  if  properly  cared  for  will  con- 
stantly rid  us  of  toxic  material  that  the  body  cannot 
utilize.  When  the  little  pores  of  the  skin  become 
clogged  nature  will  sometimes  throw  out  effete  mat- 
ter, in  the  form  of  pimples,  boils,  carbuncles  and 
ulcers. 

Bathing  not  only  implies  a  cleaning  of  the  body 
or  certain  portions  of  it,  but  also  the  application  of 
water  in  such  a  manner  as  to  tone  the  nervous  sys- 
tem and  aid  the  organs  of  secretion.  Not  only  the 
hygienic  influence  of  water  should  be  desired,  but 


70  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

what  is  more — its  curative  effects.  Baths  are  of 
several  kinds.  Among  the  many  kinds  of  baths  may 
be  mentioned  the  cool,  temperate,  cold,  tepid,  warm, 
hot  air,  electric,  sea,  Russian,  Turkish,  vapor, 
sponge,  douche,  head,  foot  and  medicated. 

A  Cold  Bath  taken  at  a  temperature  of  from  40° 
to  60°  F.  is  employed  for  its  tonic  effects.  To  obtain 
the  best  results  no  one  should  remain  in  it  more  than 
three  or  four  minutes,  otherwise  the  reaction  is  slow 
and  its  effects  injurious.  The  colder  the  water 
the  less  time  one  should  spend  in  it.  Those  who  have 
a  low  standard  of  vitality  should  prefer  a  cool  bath, 
from  60°  to  75°  F.  instead. 

A  Tepid  Bath  taken  at  a  temperature  of  from 
80°  to  92°  F.  is  usually  employed  for  its  cleansing 
effects.  That  inflammatory  and  feverish  conditions 
are  reduced  by  a  tepid  bath  is  proof  of  its  cooling 
effects.  It  seems  to  regulate  one's  temperature  and 
to  aid  the  skin  in  its  process  of  excretion. 

A  Hot  Bath  taken  at  a  temperature  of  from  100° 
to  110°  F.  is  a  very  good  stimulant.  The  secretive  or- 
gans become  constricted  and  perspiration  and  lan- 
guor follows  later.  A  warm  bath,  from  90°  to  100° 
F.  should  be  preferred  by  those  whose  vitality  will 
not  justify  a  hot  bath.  It  is  very  soothing,  as  it 
equalizes  the  circulation  and  removes  impurities,  and 
does  not  weaken  one  as  a  hot  bath  sometimes  does. 

A  Turkish  Bath  is  a  hot-air,  dry  bath.  The  bath- 
ing process  consists  of  going  from  one  room  to  an- 
other, each  being  of  a  higher  temperature  than  the 
preceding  room.  Then,  a  thorough  massage  is  given 
followed  by  cooling  the  body  and  invigorating  it  by 
a  shower  bath  and  a  cold  "sponge."  A  Turkish 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  71 

bath  is  a  wonderful  health  producing  agency.  Al- 
most everybody  should  take  one  occasionally  for  it 
aids  materially  and  has  no  weakening  effects.  By 
means  of  it,  the  muscular  and  glandular  systems  of 
the  body  are  stimulated,  thus  equalizing  the  circula- 
tion. In  spite  of  a  Turkish  bath  being  such  a  won- 
derful curative  and  health  agent,  it  is  strange  that 
most  people  never  have  seen  a  Turkish  bath;  and 
some  do  not  even  know  such  an  "animal"  exists. 
They  will  spend  many  a  hard  earned  dollar  on  cheap, 
harmful  patent  medicines  for  their  "rheumatism," 
and  yet  will  keep  on,  daily,  eating  meats,  drinking 
booze,  avoiding  exercise,  shunning  a  Turkish  bath, 
for  fear  they  may  get  wet,  and  it  may  require  a  little 
effort  on  their  own  part.  Oh!  inconsistency,  thou 
art  prevalent  among  us!  Thou  hast  apparently 
made  thy  permanent  abode  among  the  children  of 
men! 

A  Sea  Bath,  or  Sea  Bathing,  is  a  wonderful  tonic 
to  those  who  are  debilitated  or  have  certain  chronic 
ailments.  It  is  not  only  a  remedial  agent  for  the 
weak  and  sick  but  is  equally  valuable  for  the  strong 
and  healthy.  No  one  should  creep  or  step  cring- 
ingly  into  the  water.  It  is  this  fear,  the  slow  move- 
ment and  lowering  of  the  temperature  that  drives 
the  blood  to  the  head,  causing  chills  and  other  physi- 
cal harm,  which  are  sometimes  attributed  to  the  bath- 
ing, instead  of  to  the  fear  and  weakness  of  the  would- 
be  bather. 

The  duration  of  a  sea-bath,  at  first,  should  not 
exceed  four  or  five  minutes.  The  most  robust 
should  not  take  more  than  one  bath  a  day.  Before 
breakfast  is  the  ideal  time  for  a  bath, — never  soon 


72  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

after  a  meal.  After  emerging  from  the  bath,  the 
bather  should  be  thoroughly  dried  and  dressed  and 
have  moderate  exercise  to  induce  wholesome  reaction. 
The  sea  bath,  in  conjunction  with  the  influences  of 
the  pure  air,  different  diet,  change  of  scenery  with 
relief  from  mental  strain,  and  exercise,  constitutes 
"a  real  vacation." 

Swimming  is  among  the  most  beneficial  forms  of 
exercise.  It  develops  the  muscles,  stimulates  the 
glandular  system  to  wholesome  activity,  works  off 
excess  weight  in  the  stout,  builds  tissue  in  the  lean 
and  promotes  circulation  in  every  one.  Swimming 
is  always  preferable  to  mere  bathing.  Many  people 
are  injured  by  their  "touch-me-not"  bathing  who 
would  benefit  by  swimming.  No  swimmer,  no  matter 
how  expert,  should  be  in  the  water  more  than  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes.  Five  minutes  at  a  time  would  be 
the  best.  Those  who  remain  in  the  water,  continu- 
ously for  thirty,  forty  or  more  minutes  are  generally 
the  ones  who  either  die  suddenly  or  become  ill  and 
then  blame  it  on  the  ocean  or  sea,  instead  of  on  their 
own  lack  of  knowledge  of  physiology  and  the  prin- 
ciple that  excess  is  the  thing  that  harms. 

There  are  various  medicated  baths  such  as  the 
acid,  alkaline,  sulphur  and  iodine  baths  which  are 
serviceable  at  times.  The  Sitz  and  foot  bath  are  of 
unusual  benefit  in  many  cases.  Even  the  wet  sheet 
pack  and  general  hot  fomentations  have  relieved 
congestion  and  inflammation  over  local  areas. 

The  subject  of  bathing  and  the  scientific  applica- 
tion of  water  is  a  very  important  one  and  should 
be  studied  more  thoroughly  by  those  who  believe  in 
natural  living  as  an  aid  to  health. 


EXERCISE    AND    DANCING 

How  many  people  understand  the  influence  of  exer- 
cise on  the  body?  How  many  know  the  difference 
between  gymnastic  exercise  and  calisthenics?  How 
many  exercise  daily  and  do  so  properly?  How 
many,  for  example,  walk  five  or  ten  miles  daily,  or 
occasionally  for  health's  sake?  How  many  breathe 
deeply  and  rhythmically?  How  many  breathe 
through  their  nostrils  ?  The  average  business  person 
is  "too  busy"  for  such  an  "insignificant"  matter  as 
exercise.  Making  money  is  his  aim  and  God,  al- 
though he  may  not  live  long  enough  to  enjoy  it.  The 
nerve  force  he  yields  in  scheming  to  accumulate 
wealth  exhausts  his  vitality,  making  him  a  pauper, 
physically  speaking. 

There  is  no  man  or  woman  so  busy  that  he  or  she 
cannot  find  at  least  five  minutes'  time  for  physical 
education  or  physical  training  every  day.  What 
good  are  all  our  learning,  accumulated  riches,  and 
honors,  if  because  we  do  not  take  care  of  our  bodies, 
we  suffer  and  die  before  our  time?  What  are  "epi- 
demics" if  not  the  inevitable  expression  of  nature,  or 
her  "periodic  house-cleaning"  because  of  lack  of 
proper  exercise,  negligence  or  debauchery  in  general  ? 

Good  physical  development  is  a  thing  that  can 
be  acquired  in  almost  every  case  by  intelligent,  con- 
tinuous training.  The  measure  of  one's  develop- 
ment is  determined  largely  by  the  amount  of  effort 

73 


74  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

exerted  in  acquiring  it.  It  requires  strength  to  de- 
velop strength.  Unused  muscles  do  not  grow. 

Exercise  does  many  definite  tilings  for  our  bodies. 
It  modifies  the  action  of  the  heart,  increases  bodily 
heat,  promotes  the  appetite  and  stimulates  the  assim- 
ilative processes.  Systematic  exercise  normalizes  the 
blood  pressure,  as  it  does  all  other  bodily  functions. 
Exercise  will  cause  an  increase  of  oxygen  in  the 
lungs,  carrying  off  in  return  carbon  dioxide  gas  and 
other  such  accumulated  waste  which  the  body  cannot 
utilize.  Sedentary  habits  and  neglect  of  exercise 
will  favor  the  narrow  and  hollow  chest.  Active  mus- 
cular exercise  assists  in  the  process  of  digestion, 
whereas  indigestion  is  largely  due  to  inertia  or  in- 
activity of  the  stomach  muscles.  Exercise  further 
assists  the  eliminative  organs  to  throw  off  waste  from 
the  system  rapidly  and  thoroughly  and  helps  in  de- 
veloping bone  and  ligaments.  Exercise  of  the  mind 
is  very  essential,  as  is  exercise  of  the  will,  which  when 
strengthened  cooperates  with  self-control,  man's  in- 
tellectual and  moral  qualities. 

There  is,  however,  the  danger  of  exhausting  the 
muscles  by  excessive  exercise,  which  as  a  rule  impairs 
nutrition,  materially.  Excess  in  all  things  does  harm. 
If  the  right  amount  of  exercise  be  taken,  it  aids  in 
developing  efficiency,  strength,  promptness  and  tire- 
lessness. 

DANCING 

Next  to  proper  and  sufficient  walking  and  breath- 
ing, one  of  the  best  exercises  is  dancing.  From  time 
immemorial  dancing  has  been  man's  outward  sign 
of  joy  expressed  in  graceful  motion,  in  time  with 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  75 

music  played  on  any  instrument.  Dancing  is  a  most 
effective  exercise  for  health,  grace  and  charm.  Vul- 
garity, in  the  name  of  dancing,  should  not  be  per- 
mitted, but  dancing  in  the  artistic  sense  or  as  exercise 
develops  nerve  and  muscles,  promotes  circulation  of 
blood  and  assists  the  breathing  organs  to  function 
more  fully. 

Outdoor  dancing  should  be  more  practiced  than  it 
is  to-day.  It  may  not  be  so  "elegant"  as  that  ac- 
complished on  the  glossy  ballroom  floor  but  it  is 
more  conducive  to  health. 

The  thoughtful  reader  will  appreciate  the  impor- 
tance of  studying  exercise,  and  then  practicing  it, 
especially  gymnastic  exercise  and  calisthenics,  which 
include  the  use  of  various  rings  and  bars,  dumb-bells, 
Indian  clubs,  and  the  like.  The  study  of  recreative 
exercises,  sports,  and  outdoor  pastimes  are  very  in- 
teresting. They  include  such  natural  activities  as 
rowing,  swimming,  dancing,  roller-skating,  bicycling, 
riding,  cricket,  and  out-door  games  in  general. 


SLEEP  AND  SLEEPLESSNESS 

How  many  people  have  studied  the  physiology  of 
sleep?  Some  people  sleep  most  of  their  lives  away, 
and  some  people  are  asleep  even  when  they  believe 
themselves  to  be  awake! 

What  is  sleep?  Sleep  is  a  period  of  rest  for  the 
body  and  mind,  during  which  volition  and  conscious- 
ness are  in  partial  or  complete  abeyance  and  the 
bodily  functions  partially  suspended.  In  all  the 
higher  animals,  the  central  nervous  system  enters 
once  at  least  in  the  twenty-four  hours  into  the  con- 
dition of  rest,  which  we  call  sleep.  As  to  the  cause 
of  this  we  know  nothing  definite,  except  that  sleep  is 
due  to  a  fall  of  general  arterial  pressure  accom- 
panied by  a  diminution  of  the  quantity  of  blood  pass- 
ing through  the  brain. 

The  purpose  of  sleep  is  to  recuperate,  renew,  and 
renovate  our  bodily  forces,  so  as  to  restore  them  to 
normal  tone,  as  much  as  possible.  Relaxation  of  the 
tense  muscles  and  rest  of  brain  and  nerve  cells  are 
nature's  intent  by  means  of  sleep.  Abuse  of  sleep  is 
quite  as  injurious,  and  may  be  more  injurious,  than 
too  little  sleep.  Sleep  means  inactivity,  and  inac- 
tivity enfeebles.  Nature  requires  that  all  our  bodily 
organs  should  be  exercised  in  order  to  develop.  We 
can  do  without  food  for  days  and  weeks,  but  cannot 
get  along  without  sleep  for  that  length  of  time.  No 
sleep  or  rest  for  forty-eight  hours  will  exhaust  the 

average  "strong"  man. 

76 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  77 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  almost  all  the  great 
geniuses  of  the  world  managed  to  get  along  with 
very  little  sleep.  It  is  said  that  Napoleon  rarely 
slept  over  five  hours;  Benjamin  Franklin,  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  Goethe,  Humboldt,  Edison  and  numerous 
others  are  examples  of  men  with  great  powers  of 
endurance  with  but  little  sleep.  They  combated  the 
feeling  of  drowsiness  or  sleepiness  as  an  enemy  to  be 
overcome.  However,  most  people  are  too  busy  mak- 
ing ends  meet,  to  be  geniuses  in  this  respect.  To  fight 
off  sleep  may  be  well  for  the  one  who  does  mainly 
mental  work  (although  mental  work  is  physical 
work  also),  and  for  one  who  does  not  have  to 
"punch  the  clock"  on  time ;  but  it  will  not  hold  good 
for  the  one  who  does  manual  work  six  or  eight  hours 
daily,  or  for  the  average  person  who  is  subject  to 
the  "eternal  grind." 

NATURAL    MEASURES    FOR    SLEEPLESSNESS 

Numerable  cures  for  insomnia  (inability  to  sleep) 
have  been  suggested,  some  good,  most  of  them  bad. 
Opiates  and  drugging  are  dangerous  habits,  no 
matter  how  good  the  intention.  It  is  much  better  to 
follow  some  natural  method,  and  here  are  a  few : 

(a)  One  of  the  simplest  and  best  means  for  in- 
ducing sleep  is  to  arise,  and  standing  straight,  rise 
on  tiptoe  to  the  fullest  height  a  number  of  times  in 
rapid  succession  until  one  feels  the  blood  coming  into 
the  calf  of  the  leg.  Then  lie  down  composed  and  be- 
gin long,  quick  breathing,  and  in  most  cases,  sleep 
will  follow  quickly.  This  process  draws  the  blood 
away  from  the  head  and  is  a  good  natural  method 
even  if  you  are  too  lazy  to  try  it. 


78  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

(b)  A  hot  bath  has  often  proven  highly  beneficial. 
In  getting  out  of  the  bath,  however,  the  greatest  care 
must   be   taken   to    avoid   chilling   the   body.      The 
patient  should  first  be  wrapped  in  a  Turkish  sheet 
and  gently  dried,  then  immediately  put  into  bed. 

(c)  A  warm   foot   bath    (with  or  without  pow- 
dered mustard)  may  be  taken  before  retiring. 

(d)  The  patients'  habits  should  be  regulated,  es- 
pecially his  bowels.     Those  who  do  sedentary  work 
should  take  reasonable  exercise  in  the  open  air  before 
retiring.     The  evening  meal  should  be  a  light  one; 
and  if  for  some  reason,  one  believes  it  best  to  eat 
"something"  before  retiring,  let  it  be  fresh  fruit, 
such  as  apples,  grapes,  pears,  peaches  and  the  like; 
drink  plenty  of  water,  cold  or  hot. 

(e)  If  you  are  a  "heavy"  meat  eater,  either  reduce 
your  consumption  of  meat  or  eliminate  it  from  your 
diet  entirely. 

(f )  If  you  are  addicted  to  the  use  of  tea  and  coffee 
(which   are  medicines)    you  should  eliminate  them, 
unless  your  doctor  insists  upon  your  drinking  them, 
and  even  then  only  in  the  dosage  the  doctor  has  pre- 
scribed. 

(g)  Be  out  of  doors  and  sleep  out  of  doors  as 
much  as  possible. 

(h)  Avoid  excitement  before  going  to  bed.  (It 
is  not  bad  advice  for  the  daytime  either.)  Excite- 
ment generates  toxins  or  waste  in  the  system,  which 
irritate  and  interfere  with  normal  circulation,  think- 
ing and  sleeping. 

(i)  Avoid  "angel  beds,"  that  is,  feather  mattresses 
and  pillows  and  a  great  deal  of  heavy  covering.  If 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  79 

one  medium  weight  blanket  is  not  sufficient,  keep  a  hot 
bottle  to  the  feet  for  a  few  minutes. 

(j)  The  bedroom  should  be  roomy  and  well  ven- 
tilated; draperies  should  be  conspicuous  by  their 
absence ;  the  bed  covering  should  be  clean  and  not  too 
heavy;  carpets  should  be  banished,  and  loose  rugs, 
frequently  aired  and  shaken,  should  take  their  place. 
The  mattress  should  be  neither  hard  nor  soft,  and 
the  walls  should  be  covered  with  paint  or  calcimine, 
never  with  paper. 

The  habit  of  sleeping  in  any  one  position  causes 
tendency  to  congestion  on  that  side.  It  is  much 
better  to  lie  on  the  stomach  or  on  the  right  side 
and  on  the  left  side  in  succession,  and  sometimes 
stretched  out  full  length  and  at  other  times  curled 
up  as  nearly  like  a  ball  as  seems  restful.  These 
methods  are  only  suggestive  and  therefore  in  severe 
cases  of  insomnia,  a  doctor  should  be  consulted. 

AMOUNT  OF  SLEEP  NEEDED 

The  amount  of  sleep  necessary  to  recuperate  the 
system  without  causing  degeneration  or  enfeebling 
of  any  organs  varies  with  the  age  and  habits  of  life 
of  the  individual.  The  infant  during  its  first  six 
months  should  sleep  about  twenty  hours  daily.  This 
period  should  gradually  lessen  until  at  two  years  of 
age,  the  child  should  not  exceed  sixteen  or  seventeen 
hours  of  sleep  daily.  Between  this  and  the  fourth 
year,  fourteen  hours  is  abundant,  while  between  the 
fourth  and  ninth  year,  time  should  be  reduced  to 
twelve  hours  or  less.  From  this  period  to  fifteen  or 
seventeen  years  ten  hours'  sleep  is  considered  essen- 


80  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tial.  After  this,  during  life,  eight  hours'  sleep  is 
almost  universally  considered  as  the  safe  period  that 
may  be  devoted  to  slumber  daily.  The  prevailing 
notion  that  one  needs  more  sleep  after  the  age  of 
fifty  or  sixty  years  of  age  meets  with  but  little  favor. 
During  sickness  or  convalescence,  longer  hours  of 
sleep  may  be  necessary.  Regular  periods  for  sleep- 
ing are  very  beneficial  while  irregular  hours  are 
extremely  hurtful. 


HOW  TO  INCREASE  WEIGHT 

GOOD   DIGESTION 

One  of  the  first  requirements  for  obtaining  an  in- 
crease of  weight  or  becoming  plump,  as  some  would 
prefer  terming  it,  is  to  have  a  good  stomach.  In 
other  words:  the  digestive  and  assimilative  organs 
should  be  normal.  One  should  see  to  it  also,  that  the 
eliminative  organs  function  properly;  that  he 
breathes  through  the  nostrils  instead  of  the  mouth; 
that  he  bathes  often  and  relaxes  or  rests  sufficiently. 

SLEEP 

Sufficient  rest  and  sleep  must  not  be  neglected. 
Do  not  take  your  cares,  worries,  responsibilities  and 
grievances  to  bed  with  you.  Lay  them  aside.  Try 
to  read  or  study  something  that  will  produce  laughter 
or  a  good  mood  prior  to  retiring.  Resort  to  a  comic 
phonograph  record  if  that  is  conducive  to  relaxation 
and  rest.  Eat  some  appetizing  fruit  before  retiring. 

MEALS 

Meals  should  be  eaten  at  regular  times,  and  a  sub- 
stantial quantity  should  be  consumed;  but  nobody 
should  ever  eat  to  excess  or  when  not  hungry.  Most 
of  the  meals  should  consist  of  fats,  starches,  sweets 
and  plenty  of  fruits.  Aim  for  those  foods  that  are 
nutritious  rather  than  bulky,  though  bulk  assists  the 

digestive   processes.      Acid   fruits    and    acid    foods 

81 


82  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

should  be  avoided.  Plenty  of  bread,  peanut  butter, 
potatoes,  and  oatmeal  should  be  consumed.  As  vege- 
tables are  very  wholesome  and  fattening,  they  should 
form  the  chief  diet.  Meats  are  unnecessary  as  a  fac- 
tor in  producing  weight.  Condiments,  spices  and 
other  stimulants  should  not  be  taken  unless  in  a  very 
mild  form.  Vegetable  soups  are  appetizing  and 
wholesome,  and  therefore  should  get  first  rank  on 
the  menu. 

DRINKS 

"Adam's  Ale,"  or  pure  water,  is  the  best  drink 
on  earth.  Drink  plenty  of  it  before  and  between 
meals,  but  not  during  meals,  except  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity merely  to  quench  the  thirst.  Plenty  of  water 
in  the  morning  as  an  "eye  opener"  is  excellent  prac- 
tice. Cold  water  should  never  be  drunk  suddenly 
as  it  chills  the  stomach.  Ice-water  should  never  be 
taken  under  any  circumstances.  The  water  may  be 
kept  near  ice  or  surrounded  by  ice  but  ice  should  not 
be  in  the  water. 

EXERCISE 

Exercise  should  never  be  neglected,  but  it  should 
be  regularly  taken  and  moderately.  Most  exercise 
should  be  taken  before  breakfast  and  before  retiring. 

SUMMARY 

In  order  to  gain  weight,  or  become  plump,  one 
should  eat  plenty  of  nourishing,  yet  fattening  foods ; 
have  plenty  of  relaxation  and  sleep;  drink  plenty  of 
water;  take  moderate  exercise,  keep  cheerful,  and 
maintain  a  determination  to  do  what  one  knows  is 
best  to  gain  the  desired  weight. 


OVERWEIGHT  AND  ITS  REDUCTION 

There  is  an  old  saying,  "Nobody  loves  a  fat 
man."  This  saying  could  read  more  correctly,  "No- 
body loves  a  fat  man  (or  fat  woman)  less  than  he 
does  himself."  Overweight  or  obesity  is  in  itself  a 
disease,  which  is  usually  continued  or  nourished  by 
gluttony  or  negligence.  Unbiased  thought  and  in- 
vestigation of  the  subject  will  soon  reveal  that 
obesity  or  being  "blessed"  with  an  excessive  quantity 
of  fatty  layers  in  the  abdominal  or  other  portions 
of  the  body,  is  not  only  unsightly,  but  is  an  enemy  to 
health  and  efficiency;  in  fact,  overweight  shortens 
life.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  lean  persons 
undergoing  surgical  operations  succumb  less  to 
shock  and  other  complications  resulting  from  the 
operation  or  anesthetic,  than  do  fat  people  under 
the  same  circumstances.  In  fact,  life  insurance  com- 
panies will  not  always  insure  those  who  are  abnormal 
in  weight,  and  rightfully  so. 

It  is  interesting  as  well  as  instructive,  on  this  very 
item,  to  note  the  experience  of  43  American  Life 
Insurance  Companies,  embracing  186,579  policy 
holders  and  extending  over  a  period  of  twenty-three 
years: 

Overweight  25-45  Overweight  50-80 

Death  Rate  Death  Rate 

(Ages  at  Entry)            Above  Standard  Above  Standard 

20-24                                     \%  3% 

25-29                                     12%  17% 
30-34                                     19% 


84  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Overweight  25-45  Overweight  50-80 

Death  Rate  Death  Rate 

(Ages  at  Entry)            A  bove  Standard  A  bove  Standard 

35-39                                     31%  55% 

40-44                                     40%  75% 

45-49                                     31%  51% 

60-56                                   24%  49% 

57-62                                     12%  38% 

From  the  above  figures,  taken  from  the  most  direct 
and  reliable  sources,  one  cannot  help  concluding  that 
even  simple  overweight  is  conducive  to  disease  and 
an  early  grave.  There  are,  of  course,  exceptions  to 
the  rule.  There  have  been  and  are  many  fat  people 
who  have  done  a  great  deal  of  mental  work  and  lived 
to  a  ripe,  old  age.  At  any  rate,  there  is  no  sense  in 
accumulating  and  "taking  care"  of  a  lot  of  fatty 
material,  when  less  fat  and  more  muscle  based  on 
exercise  and  proper  living  generally  will  "carry  us 
over  the  bridge"  with  more  safety.  It  is  as  neces- 
sary for  one  to  carry  around  his  person  fifty  or 
seventy-five  pounds  of  grease,  as  it  would  be  for  a 
small  grocer  to  maintain  a  large  Packard  truck  for 
the  mere  delivery  of  a  small  order  consisting  of  a 
dozen  eggs,  a  pound  of  soda  crackers  and  a  can  of 
sardines.  Why  carry  around  this  surplusage? 
Why  lubricate  large  quantities  of  unnecessary  or- 
ganic matter?  How  many  stop  to  realize  that  the 
"fat  folks"  roast  more  in  summer,  and  freeze  more 
in  winter  than  others? 

The  question  arises:  What  is  the  proper  weight 
for  man  or  woman  at  a  given  age?  The  estimated 
average  weight,  at  the  age  of  between  30  and  34, 
of  different  heights  are: 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH        85 

Height  Males          Females 

5  feet  128  119 

5-1  129  121 

5-2  131  123 

5-3  134  127 

5-4  138  130 

5-5  141  135 

5-6  144  139 

5-7  150  142 

5-8  154  147 

5-9  159  151 

5-10  164  155 

5-11  169  158 

5-12  175  161 

6-1  182 


REDUCTION  OF  WEIGHT 

As  to  the  reduction  of  weight  in  the  obese,  if  done 
intelligently,  and  not  too  hastily,  it  is  attended  with 
no  dangers;  but  the  unreasonable  or  rigid,  sudden 
and  total  restriction  of  certain  accustomed  food- 
stuffs may  lead  to  derangements  of  the  system.  Un- 
less the  one  desirous  of  reducing  superfluous  weight 
understands  just  what  to  do  and  what  to  refrain 
from  doing  in  the  way  of  exercise,  bathing,  food,  he 
had  better  consult  and  be  under  the  care  of  an  expert 
in  this  important  matter. 

One  thing  above  all  should  be  kept  in  mind  by  the 
one  desirous  of  reducing  weight;  that  is,  to  do  it  in 
a  natural  or  harmless  way.  Do  not  acquire  results  at 
the  expense  of  vitality  or  health.  And  remember 
this:  patience  is  a  jewel.  It  must  take  time,  if  your 
results  are  to  be  permanent  and  wholesome.  Do  not 
expect  ten  or  fifteen  years  of  carelessness,  debauch- 
ery, or  malformation  to  be  corrected  in  ten  or  fifteen 


86  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

minutes,  and  do  not  expect  to  find  results  in  a  patent 
medicine,  any  more  than  you  find  health  in  a  capsule. 
Normal  weight  must  come  from  an  intelligent  con- 
ception of  the  subject,  plus  compliance  with  certain 
formulas. 

As  to  diet,  remember,  first  of  all,  that  we  should 
eat  to  live,  and  not  live  to  eat.  In  other  words, 
we  should  eat  for  efficiency,  health  and  longevity, 
and  not  merely  to  tickle  the  palate.  If  you  are  not 
hungry,  miss  a  meal,  for  it  is  a  digestive  crime  to 
eat  when  not  hungry.  Furthermore,  nothing  is  more 
important  than  chewing  the  food  thoroughly  and 
slowly.  We  Americans  are  already  too  well  known 
as  a  nation  of  food-gulpers.  The  amount  of  food 
should  be  measured  by  the  pleasurable  sensation  it 
gives  rather  than  by  the  amount  one  can  "hold." 
It  is  a  good  idea  sometimes  to  count  how  many 
"chews"  certain  food-stuffs  require  before  swallowing 
them. 

As  to  drinking  water,  it  should  be  drunk  between 
meals  and  seldom  if  ever,  during  meals.  Sipping 
small  quantities,  however,  to  quench  the  thirst  will 
not  interfere.  All  soups  should  be  eaten  before  solid 
foods.  One  or  two  cups  of  water  every  morning, 
preferably  hot,  and  with  lemon,  makes  an  excellent 
"fat  reducer." 

As  to  food,  as  an  aid  to  reduce  unnecessary  weight, 
all  fat-making  foods,  such  as  fats,  starches  and 
sugars,  should  be  reduced  very  materially.  If  one  is 
fond  of  wheat  bread,  cut  it  into  thin  slices  and 
toast  it.  Almost  all  garden  greens  are  allowable. 
Fruits,  such  as  apples,  peaches,  oranges  and  grapes 
are  wholesome  and  harmless,  while  bananas,  figs, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  87 

dates  and  nuts  should  be  avoided  or  very  much  re- 
stricted. If  meats  are  consumed  at  all,  the  lean  por- 
tions only  should  be  chosen. 

EXERCISE 

Although  diet  plays  an  important  role,  proper 
exercise  is  equally  important.  In  many  cases,  exer- 
cise alone  will  be  sufficient.  Yet  the  exercise  should 
be  so  regulated  as  not  to  permit  of  undue  physical 
exertion  or  exhaustion  which  would,  if  continued, 
lead  to  general  loss  of  vitality.  Those  with  weak 
hearts,  especially,  should  think  of  the  latter.  Most 
exercise  should  be  taken  in  the  open  air  when  possible. 
It  may  consist  of  walking,  riding,  climbing  or  swim- 
ming. Deep  rhythmic  breathing,  during  certain  ex- 
ercises will  help  the  system  to  oxidize  some  fatty 
material.  There  are,  of  course,  no  fixed  rules  for 
exercise.  All  depends  upon  the  physical  condition 
and  temperament  of  the  individual.  There  are  a 
number  of  floor-touching  movements,  stooping  move- 
ments, stretching  movements,  and  other  exercises  that 
are  very  useful.  Dumb-bell  exercises  and  other  gym- 
nastics the  reader  can  easily  find  out  about  just  as 
soon  as  heartily  interested. 

Massage,  or  passive  exercise,  is  a  possible  adjunct, 
but  less  valuable  than  active  exercise.  If  massaging 
is  resorted  to  at  all,  it  should  be  done  regularly  and 
vigorously  to  produce  results.  Some  have  tried 
health  resorts,  medicinal  treatment,  or  patent  medi- 
cines. The  best  health  resort  is  your  own  back  yard, 
your  bath  room,  the  public  park,  and  your  will  power. 
As  to  medicinal  treatment,  although  certain  medicines 
may  be  useful  sometimes,  if  one  will  only  bathe  often, 


88  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

take  systematic  exercise,  and  eat  as  a  real  human 
being  should,  there  would  be  no  need  of  medicine. 
As  to  the  advertised  patent  medicines,  they  are  abso- 
lutely useless.  Moreover,  they  are  very  harmful. 
There  is  no  better  remedy  or  method  than  complying 
with  nature's  laws. 

A  word  regarding  sleep  may  not  be  out  of  place. 
Fat  people,  as  a  rule,  are  "big  sleepers."  Some  of 
them  fall  asleep  soon  after  a  meal.  Some  of  them 
are  sleepy  half  of  the  time.  In  fact,  many  people 
are  tired  and  sleepy  even  when  they  are  awake. 
That  is  why  so  many  think  so  little  and  let  op- 
portunity slip  by  them,  while  they  are  in  a  semi- 
snoozing  condition.  Seven  hours  for  men  and  eight 
hours  for  women  should  usually  be  sufficient,  unless 
certain  complications  or  weakness  demand  otherwise. 
What  a  normal  person  needs  as  a  means  of  preserv- 
ing health  is  sleep,  food,  exercise,  baths;  and  these 
are  only  means  of  developing  the  best  that  is  in  us, 
so  that  we  can  better  serve  others ;  for  then  only,  can 
we  have  comparative  health  and  happiness. 


INFANT  AND  CHILD  WELFARE 

The  proper  management  of  children  is  the  most  im- 
portant subject  that  can  be  brought  to  the  consider- 
ation of  parents,  and  yet  it  is  one  that  has  been 
greatly  neglected.  It  is  a  subject  that  seldom 
receives  the  attention  which  it  merits.  Most  mothers 
undertake  the  training  of  children  without  previous 
instruction,  believing  it  can  be  learned  by  instinct  or 
by  affection.  The  scientific  management  of  a  child 
begins,  or  should  begin,  before  birth.  Prenatal  in- 
fluences and  education  are  of  vast  importance;  yet 
strange  to  say  they  are  greatly  neglected  and  mis- 
understood. To  have  healthy  children  the  parents 
must  first  be  healthy  themselves.  They  must  not 
violate  nature's  laws.  Physical  strength,  agreeable 
temper,  and  nobleness  of  mind  beget  their  like,  where- 
as intoxication,  debility,  debauchery  of  mind  or 
body  yield  like  characteristics  in  the  offspring. 

PBE-NATAL   INFLUENCES 

The  care  of  the  mother  during  pregnancy,  espe- 
cially in  matters  pertaining  to  clothing,  baths,  exer- 
cise, diet  and  rest  plays  an  important  role.  Imme- 
diately after  conception,  the  mother  should  begin  to 
take  unusual  care  of  her  health.  Her  clothing  should 
never  be  tight  but  rather  loose  and  comfortable,  and 
adapted  to  the  gradual  development  of  her  abdomen 

and  breasts.     The  frequent  use  of  tepid  baths,  with 

89 


90  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

daily  sponge  baths  of  lukewarm  water  should  be  en- 
couraged. The  mother  should  take  short,  frequent 
walks  during  the  whole  period  of  pregnancy.  She 
should  spend  as  much  time  as  possible  in  the  open 
air.  As  to  diet,  meats  should  be  eaten  rarely  or 
not  at  all.  Highly  seasoned  foods  and  rich  soups 
should  be  avoided.  Alcohol,  tea,  coffee  and  other 
such  stimulating  drugs,  should  be  prohibited.  A 
pregnant  woman  should  go  to  bed  when  sleepy  and 
get  up  when  not  sleepy.  There  is  no  other  fixed  rule 
as  to  when  to  go  to  sleep.  Everything  to  make  the 
mother  comfortable,  cheerful  and  happy  is  of  utmost 
importance.  And  in  addition  let  it  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  health  and  mood  of  the  father  at  the  time 
of  impregnation  are  of  great  influence  on  the  future 
welfare  of  the  child. 

TO   ESTABLISH    BEEATHING    OF    THE    NEW-BOBN 

In  the  absence  of  a  physician,  the  body  of  the 
infant  may  be  immersed  in  hot  and  cold  water 
alternately.  Frequently  hang  its  head  downward, 
slap  the  chest  of  the  infant  gently  and  clean  the  nose 
and  throat.  After  breathing  is  established  and  the 
babe  cries  well,  wrap  it  in  a  warm  blanket  or  woolen 
shawl  laying  it  on  its  right  side  in  a  comfortable 
place,  until  the  mother  has  been  properly  taken 
care  of. 

TYING     THE     COED 

After  proper  breathing  has  been  established,  in 
the  absence  of  a  physician,  take  a  piece  of  strong 
wrapping  cord,  or  braided  silk,  and  tie  the  cord  about 
two  inches  from  the  abdomen.  Again  tie  it  a  little 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  91 

further  away;  and  then  (after  pulsation  has  almost 
subsided)  cut  the  cord  between  the  two  strings. 

BATHING 

The  infant  should  be  given  a  cleansing  bath  soon 
after  birth.  A  soft  wash  cloth  or  bath  sponge  may 
be  used  for  the  washing  process.  After  gently  drying 
the  skin,  the  entire  body  may  be  dusted  with  powder, 
either  powdered  starch,  talcum,  lycopodium,  or  violet 
powder. 

BABY'S  EYES 

The  care  of  baby's  eyes  is  very  important.  They 
should  be  properly  cleansed  with  a  warm  boric  acid 
solution.  For  many  a  good  reason,  it  is  advisable 
to  use  a  few  drops  of  \%  or  2%  solution  of  Silver 
Nitrate  in  both  eyes.  Always  be  sure  that  the  eye- 
dropper  is  clean.  Of  course,  it  is  best  to  have  this 
treatment  given  by  the  skillful  hand  of  the  physician. 
Other  items  of  importance  are:  care  of  the  naval; 
applying  the  dressing;  dropping  of  the  cord;  band- 
aging, etc. 

FEEDING    OF    INFANTS 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  a  baby  should 
be  fed  on  mother's  milk,  if  that  is  obtainable.  There 
are  many  mothers,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  who  think 
more  of  cultivating  their  breasts  with  reference  to 
pretty  form  and  figure  than  as  a  means  for  nourish- 
ing their  child.  Circumstances  may  prevent  this 
natural  method  of  feeding,  such  as  disease  of  mother 
or  child,  a  poor  development  of  breasts  or  nipples  or 
absence  or  lack  of  milk  development.  In  cases  of  that 
sort,  a  competent  wet  nurse  is  most  desirable.  Dis- 


92  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

crimination  should  be  used  in  the  selection  of  a  nurse. 
A  cross,  ill-natured  woman  ought  never  be  employed, 
because  bad  temper  effects  the  secretions  of  the 
breasts,  thereby  producing  poisonous  substances 
which  are  harmful  for  the  child.  The  wet  nurse 
should  be  free  from  bad  habits ;  of  good  temper,  and, 
above  all,  clean  and  free  from  disease.  A  puny, 
sickly  nurse  is  not  capable  of  imparting  to  a  child 
the  nourishment  it  requires.  If  proper  nurses  cannot 
be  obtained  then  other  means  must  be  found. 

MIXED   FEEDING 

Mixed  feeding  should  take  place  only  when  the 
mother's  milk  is  deficient.  We  must  recognize  the 
fact  that  the  mortality  of  bottle-fed  infants  is  about 
three  times  as  great  as  that  of  breast-fed  babies. 
A  cow's  milk,  at  best,  is  only  a  substitute  for  moth- 
er's milk.  Therefore  only  under  the  pressure  of 
urgent  necessity  should  nursing  be  given  up  by  the 
mother.  In  such  cases,  modified  cow's  milk,  or  some 
properly  prepared  milk  may  be  resorted  to. 

ARTIFICIAL   FEEDING 

The  problem  of  artificial  feeding  is  best  solved  by 
the  aid  of  an  expert.  Cow's  milk,  if  properly  modi- 
fied, is  the  best  substitute  for  mother's  milk  next  to  a 
competent,  and  healthy  wet  nurse.  The  milk  should 
be  well  diluted,  gradually  increasing  the  amount  of 
milk  at  each  feeding.  The  milk  should  be  pure;  if 
possible,  always  taken  from  the  same  cow,  a  healthy 
one.  If  there  is  any  suspicion  as  to  the  purity  of 
cow's  milk,  have  it  examined.  We  do  not  believe  in 
"pasteurized"  milk.  Pure  or  clean  milk  should  not 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  93 

necessitate  boiling,  cleaning,  or  "pasteurizing,"  any 
more  than  a  clean  plate  needs  cleaning.  The  best 
pasteurizing  agency  is  the  cow.  The  best  way  to 
have  such  a  pasteurizing  agency  in  good  condition 
is  to  see  that  the  cow  be  healthy;  and  the  only  way 
to  accomplish  that  is  to  give  the  cow  plenty  of  clean 
water,  wholesome  food  (no  artificial  or  milk-produc- 
ing substances),  proper  ventilation  and  exercise  in 
the  pastures.  Anything  less  than  that  is  cheating 
the  children.  Raw  milk  is  the  best  because  it  has  not 
been  kept  as  long  as  the  other  kinds  and  is  more 
wholesome  and  natural. 

FEEDING  NOTES 

The  child  should  be  held  in  proper  position  by  the 
mother  or  nurse,  throughout  the  feeding,  in  such  a 
way  that  the  baby  may  be  able  to  get  a  "good  grip" 
of  the  nipple.  The  milk  should  flow  freely  and  the 
feeding  should  not  be  interfered  with,  permitting  air 
to  enter  the  nipple.  The  length  of  feeding  time, 
should,  generally,  be  no  more  than  about  twenty 
minutes.  The  bottle  should  be  taken  away  from  baby 
as  soon  as  he  is  through  eating. 

"DONT'S"  FOE  BABY 

Don't  forget  baby's  daily  bath,  giving  a  gentle 
massage. 

Don't  neglect  baby's  daily  outings. 

Don't  vaccinate  the  baby. 

Don't  use  soiled  napkins  or  towels. 

Don't  keep  poisonous  or  unwholesome  things  with- 
in the  reach  of  the  baby,  as  everything  goes  into  its 
mouth. 


94  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Don't  drug  the  baby  with  patent  medicines  nor 
with  calomel,  paregoric,  tea,  coffee,  and  whiskey. 

Don't  forget  to  give  a  little  water,  when  baby 
seems  "fretty." 

Don't  let  baby  sleep  with  an  older  person. 

Don't  cover  baby's  face  and  head  with  a  blanket, 
shawl  or  cushion. 

Don't  pierce  baby's  ears,  with  a  view  to  her  wear- 
ing earrings.  (A  barbaric  and  senseless  custom.) 

Don't  keep  the  baby  where  the  light  may  shine  in 
its  eyes. 

Don't  overdress  baby,  but  keep  it  warm. 

Don't  keep  baby  in  rocking-cradles,  and,  above  all, 
never  rock  it,  or  shake  it. 

Don't  keep  baby  in  the  arms  most  of  the  time.  It 
deforms  the  baby  and  enslaves  the  mother. 

Don't  permit  baby  to  suck  its  fingers. 

Don't  let  baby  get  used  to  breathing  through  its 
mouth. 

Don't  feed  baby  on  meat.  It  may  have  been  kept 
in  cold  storage,  preserved  with  saltpeter,  or  washed 
with  aniline  dyes. 

Don't  think  the  baby  is  hungry,  when  it  cries,  for 
it  may  be  crying  because  it  is  overfed.  (Usually  the 
case.) 

Don't  feed  baby  against  its  free  will.  Nature  al- 
ways knows  when  and  what  it  wants. 

Don't  let  the  neighbors  and  friends  kiss  baby  on 
the  mouth  (or  even  "dad"  if  he  smokes  or  chews 
tobacco). 

Don't  allow  the  flies  or  mosquitoes  to  get  all  over 
baby,  when  thin  gauze  can  prevent  them. 

Don't  get  baby  in  the  early  candy  habit. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  95 

Don't  feed  baby  if  it  ever  has  fever  or  does  not 
feel  well.  Better  give  it  more  water  and  cleanse 
the  lower  bowel  by  enema  or  suppository. 

Don't  tickle  baby. 

Don't  throw  the  baby  or  bounce  it,  or  swing  it 
over  your  head,  as  though  he  were  a  bundle  or  a 
punching  bag. 

Don't  get  it  used  to  the  eternal,  unsanitary  paci- 
fier. 

Don't  let  it  have  dirty  finger  nails. 

Don't  neglect  cleansing  its  eyes  and  ears. 

Don't  bite  off  some  food  and  then  give  baby  part 
of  it. 

Don't  blow  on  hot  soup,  milk  or  water  before 
giving  it  to  baby. 

Don't  whip  baby  with  whips,  straps  or  sticks. 

Don't  teach  baby  to  be  afraid  of  such  imaginary 
objects  as  the  Boogy  man,  goblins,  and  devils. 

Don't  shut  baby  up  in  a  dark  room  or  frighten  it 
or  deprive  it  of  food,  as  a  means  of  punishment. 

WEANING 

When  the  child  reaches  the  age  of  eight  or  nine 
months,  it  may  be  fed  from  a  spoon,  cup,  or  bottle. 
Give  water  in  a  nursing  bottle  several  times  a  day  to 
prepare  a  child  for  weaning.  It  is  far  better  to  com- 
mence giving  the  child  one  or  two  meals  a  day  by 
means  of  a  nursing  bottle,  adapting  the  child  to  the 
weaning  process,  than  to  wean  it  suddenly,  and  at  a 
premature  time.  We  should  bear  in  mind  that  the 
more  natural  the  method  employed  the  better  for  all 
concerned.  Especially  should  we  bear  this  in  mind 
when  dealing  with  an  infant.  Weaning  should  begin 


96  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

at  ten  or  eleven  months.  But  conditions  may  modify 
such  a  plan.  We  still  have  some  mothers  who  wean 
their  babies  too  early,  so  that  they  may  get  in  the 
"social  swim"  again.  This  causes  a  higher  rate  of 
mortality.  What  a  shame  and  sham  that  mothers 
prefer  "convenience"  and  the  "glossy  floor  of  the 
ballroom"  to  the  health,  comfort,  and  longevity  of 
their  dimpled  babes ! 

WEIGHT 

The  usual  weight  of  infants  at  birth  is  between 
seven  and  eight  pounds  for  a  boy  and  between  six 
and  seven  pounds  for  a  girl.  The  infant  loses  be- 
tween one-half  and  one  pound  during  its  first  week  of 
life,  then  commences  to  gain  steadily.  As  to  the  aver- 
age weight  and  height  of  infants  during  the  first 
year,  the  writer  presents  a  table,  compiled  by  J.  H. 
Kellogg,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  appearing  in  his  book, 
"Hygiene  of  Infancy": — 

Weight 

Age                                      Lb».  Oz.  Height 

At  Birth  7y2  20     inches 

Two  Weeks   7  10 

Three  Weeks  8  1 

One  Month 8  8  21      inches 

Two  Months 10  7  22     inches 

Three   Months 12  6  23     inches 

Four    Months 13  13  24     inches 

Five  Months   15  4  24y2  inches 

Six   Months 16  3  25     inches 

Seven  Months   17  2  25y2  inches 

Eight    Months 18  1  26     inches 

Nine  Months 19  27     inches 

Ten  Months 19  14  27y2  inches 

Eleven   Months 20  13  29     inches 

Twelve  Months..                  ...  21  18 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  97 

THE   TEETH 

The  first,  temporary,  or  milk  teeth  are  twenty  in 
number.  There  are  thirty-two  teeth  in  the  per- 
manent or  second  set.  It  may  be  interesting  to  know 
that  occasionally  children  are  born  with  one,  two 
or  more  teeth,  while  others  have  no  teeth  until  the 
eighteenth  month.  The  following  is  the  order  and 
usual  time  of  appearance  of  teeth : 

(a)  Two  lower  central  incisors   (middle  front  teeth),  6  to  9 
months. 

(b)  Four  upper  incisors  (upper  front  teeth),  8  to  12  months. 

(c)  Two  lower  lateral  incisors  (front  teeth  in  lower  jaw)  and 
four  anterior  molars  (front  double  teeth),  12  to  15  months. 

(d)  Four  canines  (generally  spoken  of  as  eye  teeth  in  the  up- 
per jaw,  and  stomach  teeth  in  the  lower  jaw),  18  to  24 
months. 

(e)  Four  posterior  molars  (large  double  teeth),  24  to  30  months. 
At  one  year  a  child  should  have  6  teeth 

At  one  and  a  half  years  a  child  should  have  12  teeth 
At  two  years  a  child  should  have  16  teeth 

At  two  and  a  half  years  a  child  should  have  20  teeth 

Some  of  the  common  symptoms  of  "teeth-making" 
are:  fretfulness,  free  flow  of  saliva,  indigestion,  and 
sometimes  fever.  Care  should  be  taken,  during  the 
cutting  of  teeth,  neither  to  overfeed  the  child  nor  to 
feed  it  when  it  does  not  want  food.  Constipation  or 
diarrhoea  should  be  given  prompt  attention.  Irri- 
tated or  swollen  gums  may  be  relieved  by  bathing 
them  with  a  weak  solution  of  boric  acid.  Gently 
washing  the  teeth  with  a  small  quantity  of  absorbent 
cotton  is  soothing  and  cleansing. 

SLEEP 
It  is  always  desirable  and  in  most  cases  it  is  pos- 


98  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

sible  to  keep  up  the  daily  nap  with  regularity  until 
the  children  are  at  least  four  years  old.  An  infant 
should  be  accustomed  to  being  put  into  its  bed  or 
crib  while  awake  and  to  go  to  sleep  soon  of  its  own 
accord.  The  only  requirements  for  sleep  should  be 
a  quiet,  dark  room,  a  comfortable  warm  bed,  dry 
napkins,  and  a  satisfied  stomach. 

FORBIDDEN     FOODS 

Children  under  five  years  of  age  should  not  be 
permitted  to  eat  the  following: 

Meats.  Sausage,  ham,  pork,  fish,  goose,  kidney, 
liver,  stews. 

Vegetables.  Fried  vegetables,  cabbage,  pickles, 
potatoes  (except  when  boiled  or  roasted),  radishes, 
beets  and  turnips ;  also  condiments  with  the  excep- 
tion of  salt. 

Bread  and  Corn.    All  hot  bread,  biscuits  and  corn. 

Desserts.    Candies,  pies,  pastry  and  cheese. 

Drinks.    Tea,  coffee,  beer,  wine,  and  cider. 

Fruits.  All  dried,  canned,  and  preserved  fruits; 
bananas;  unripe  fruits. 

SIMPLE    RULES    OF    CHILDREN'S    EATING 

1.  Eat  slowly.  2.  Do  not  eat  between  meals. 
3.  Chew  food  thoroughly.  4.  Do  not  eat  too  many 
kinds  of  food  (mixtures)  at  the  same  time.  5.  In 
hot  weather,  eat  sparingly.  6.  Never  eat  when  not 
hungry;  always  eat  when  hungry.  7.  Eat  for  effi- 
ciency, strength,  health,  and  longevity,  not  merely 
to  tickle  the  palate  or  because  it  is  "dinner  time." 
8.  Do  not  eat  for  sociability's  sake.  9.  Do  not  eat 
when  angry,  excited,  or  suffering  pain. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  99 

ENTEEING  SCHOOL 

The  problem  of  when  to  enter  school  depends  on 
the  individual  child.  As  a  rule  children  are  sent  to 
school  too  early.  Delicate  children  had  better  play 
"tops  and  marbles"  in  the  open  air  and  sunshine  for 
a  year  or  two  longer  than  the  "school  age,"  while 
strong  children,  who  are  eager  to  study,  may  enter 
school  much  sooner.  It  is  more  important  that  the 
child  have  a  healthy  body  than  be  an  educated  weak- 
ling. It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  add  here  that  the 
entire  system  of  schooling  ought  to  be  revised.  Some 
subjects  that  are  now  taught  ought  to  be  eliminated 
from  the  curriculum  while  others  should  be  included. 
I  would  substitute  the  teaching  of  such  vital  subjects 
as  Dietetics,  Sex  Hygiene,  Ethics,  "Genuine"  His- 
tory, Economics,  Civics,  etc.,  for  a  dead  language 
called  Latin.  (Some  schools  have  already  made 
Latin  and  other  studies  optional  with  the  pupils.) 

The  kindergarten  seems  to  be  a  timely  and  logical 
place  for  healthy,  desirous  children.  Parents 
should  demand  a  system  of  teaching  where  individual 
attention  is  given  to  children.  Let  us  also  have  more 
teachers  and  pay  them  better  than  we  do ;  and  let  the 
teachers  marry  if  they  want  to.  A  married  teacher 
is  usually  a  better  teacher. 

PUBEETY 

The  time  of  life  when  boyhood  emerges  into  man- 
hood and  girlhood  into  womanhood  is  termed  puberty. 
It  is  a  serious  time.  Parents  themselves  should  first 
learn  of  the  importance  of  this  change.  The  parents 
should  take  the  boy  or  girl  into  their  confidence  and 


100  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

in  a  proper,  human  way,  impart  such  knowledge  to 
them  as  will  make  them  understand  the  significance 
of  their  physical  change.  They  should  explain  the 
proper  care  of  the  body  and  explain  the  need  of 
discretion,  thus  guarding  their  self-respect  as  they 
grow  toward  adult  manhood  and  womanhood. 

Children  of  this  age  should  not  be  permitted  to 
grow  up  in  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  their  vital  or- 
gans. (Read  chapter  on  "Vice  Prevention,  Prosti- 
tution and  Venereal  Diseases.")  Let  this  knowledge 
be  imparted  as  early  as  the  inquisitive  nature  and 
health  status  of  the  child  will  permit — from  ten  years 
upward  children  are  usually  ready  for  this.  We 
have  nothing  to  lose  by  telling  the  truth,  and  all  to 
gain.  Nothing  will  hurt  more  than  ignorance.  We 
have  employed  ignorance  on  these  subjects  long 
enough.  Now  let  us  try  education  for  a  change,  and 
if  we  should  ever  become  dissatisfied  with  it,  we  can 
easily  go  back  to  the  ignorance,  prudishness,  and 
false  modesty  of  to-day  in  which  children  are  usually 
brought  up. 


INFLUENZA:    ITS  CAUSE,  PREVENTION 
AND   TREATMENT1 

Is  there  such  a  disease  as  Spanish  influenza? 
What  is  the  cause  of  it?  How  can  it  be  prevented? 
How  is  it  best  treated?  Is  it  necessary  for  care- 
takers to  wear  a  mask  as  a  preventive?  Will  wear- 
ing camphor  on  the  chest  prevent  catching  it? 
Will  this  new  serum,  or  vaccine,  either  prevent  or  cure 
it?  Is  it  a  germ  disease?  These  are  some  of  the 
many  questions  asked  regarding  it. 

First.  I  do  not  believe  we  have  such  a  disease  as 
Spanish  influenza,  any  more,  indeed,  than  Japanese 
influenza,  Russian  influenza,  Dr.  Katzoff's  influenza, 
Bridgeport  influenza  or  President  Wilson's  influenza. 
Influenza  always  has  been  and  is  merely  influenza, 
which  in  good,  plain  American,  is  only  grippe.  We 
had  grippe  last  year,  two  years  ago,  and  a  few  years 
ago ;  we  have  it  this  year ;  and,  doubtless,  shall  have 
it  next  year  and  every  year,  until  folks  stop  convert- 
ing their  stomachs  into  human  dumps. 

As  to  the  name  and  history  of  the  disease,  I  quote 
from  a  recent  article  in  the  Taunton  Evening  Press, 
written  by  one  of  the  most  tireless  investigators, 
deepest  thinkers,  and  scholarly  physicians  of  New 
England,  Professor  Frederick  Wallace  Abbott, 

i  Article  written  during  Influenza  period  and  appeared  in  the 
Machinists'  Monthly  Journal  (Washington,  D.  C.)»  and  later 
quoted  in  other  publications. 

101 


102  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Ph.D.,  M.D.,  D.C.L.,  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  who  says 
in  part: — 

"Spanish  influenza  or,  better,  la  grippe, — derived 
possibly  from  agripper  (to  seize), — is  the  French 
name  of  a  disease  better  known  to-day  by  both  the 
profession  and  the  people  of  English  speaking  coun- 
tries, as  influenza,  or  epidemic  catarrh.  La  grippe 
is  not  a  modern  disease  for  it  is  described  as  occur- 
ring in  France  and  Britain  in  1510,  and  it  quite  prob- 
ably existed  in  Italy  as  early  as  827.  Some  even 
claim  the  Athenian  army  was  affected  in  Sicily,  415 
B.  C.  Its  first  appearance  in  this  country  was  in 
1557.  Neither  age,  sex,  social  condition,  country, 
climate,  season  nor  previous  attack  exempts  from  it, 
though  some  of  these  factors  more  or  less  modify  it. 
Dark,  damp,  dirty  habitations  in  unhealthful  locali- 
ties doubtless  conduce  to  its  spread,  inasmuch  as 
these  factors  depress  the  vital  forces  of  their  inmates 
and  render  them  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  those 
poisonous  accumulations,  which  cause  the  disease." 

Second.  Do  not  fear  it.  Remember,  fear  is  often 
worse  than  the  disease.  Fear  but  helps  bring  it 
about.  The  boards  of  health  in  their  death  reports, 
through  the  daily  press,  have  been  frightening  the 
public  into  this  "new  disease."  Many  a  delicate  per- 
son begins  to  imagine,  "I've  got  it !"  and  thus  weak- 
ens his  system,  poisons  his  blood  by  not  digesting 
his  food,  and  paves  the  way  for  almost  any  disease. 

Third.     Do  germs  cause  influenza?     The  writer 

agrees  with  those  members  of  the  medical  profession 

who  hold  that  germs  do  not  cause  influenza;  further, 

that  germs  do  not  cause  any  other  disease.     Disease 

always   causes  germs.     This  germ-theory  business, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  103 

like  the  false  report  of  Mark  Twain's  death,  is 
greatly  exaggerated.  The  truth  is  that  the  specific 
germ  is  only  the  symptom  or  result  of  broken-down 
cell  structure  instead  of  the  cause. 

Fourth.  Shall  we  wear  a  mask?  Do  we  not  wear 
enough  masks  now?  Must  we  wear  another  on  top 
of  what  we  are  already  wearing?  If  we  are  going 
to  adopt  any  mask-wearing  styles,  let  us  have  them 
over  our  mouths,  to  keep  out  adulterated  foods,  ex- 
cessive food,  and  horribly  prepared  and  poorly  com- 
bined foods,  on  which  we  are  constantly  feeding,  and 
with  which  we  are  gradually  poisoning  our  blood 
stream,  thus  inviting  uncomfortable  manifestations, 
or  groups  of  symptoms,  known  as  influenza,  smallpox, 
pneumonia,  measles,  tuberculosis,  and  other  filth 
diseases,  which  are  only  nature's  "periodic  house 
cleaning,"  or  effort  to  rid  us  of  the  toxins,  or  waste, 
accumulated  by  years  of  debauchery  and  "over 
pigging." 

At  the  rate  we  are  "advancing"  some  bacteriologist 
will  shortly  insist  (in  the  name  of  "science")  that 
we  wear  veils  over  our  faces,  stick  porous  plasters  on 
our  noses,  keep  garlic  and  onions  in  our  pockets,  and 
powdered  glass  in  our  shoes,  as  "preventives"  of  in- 
fluenza, "the  pip"  or  most  anything  else.  And  if  one 
dare  laugh  at  it,  he  will  be  "peculiar,"  "irregular," 
"unscientific,"  "ignorant,"  and  a  "crank." 

Fifth.  About  wearing  camphor,  well,  if  one  be- 
lieves it  really  has  preventive  powers,  let  him  wear  it ; 
but  wearing  a  piece  of  camphor  on  the  chest  (or 
forsooth,  on  the  knee-cap)  will  prevent  disease  as 
much  as  would  wearing  a  piece  of  potato-pancake  or 
half  a  dozen  Chinese  nuts. 


104  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Sixth.  Many  still  believe  whiskey  is  a  good  pre- 
ventive of,  and  a  good  "tonic"  during  grippe.  No 
greater  fallacy  (with,  probably,  the  exception  of 
vaccination)  ever  existed.  The  further  you  get  away 
from  the  poison  called  "booze"  the  better.  Whiskey 
may  be  a  good  thing  with  which  to  polish  furniture, 
or  scrub  floors,  but  is  a  poor  wash  for  one's  stomach 
and  kidneys.  Notice  this :  those  who  generally  recom- 
mend it,  like  to  "moisten  their  tongues"  with  it 
occasionally. 

Seventh.  About  spitting,  coughing,  sneezing  and 
whistling,  every  sane  person  knows  such  practices 
ought  to  be  performed  as  privately  and  as  sanitarily 
as  possible — in  a  handkerchief  (which  should  later  be 
burned),  and  with  the  head  turned  from  others  al- 
ways. However,  even  the  violation  of  this  common 
sense,  hygienic  measure  will  not  cause  influenza.  The 
"catching"  is  already  in  our  blood  and  stomachs. 

Eighth.  About  closing  schools,  theaters,  churches 
and  libraries,  all  such  places  should  remain  as  usual. 
They  have  no  effect  on  either  influenza  or  most  other 
filth  diseases.  In  fact,  if  we  would  only  visit  the 
library  more  and  the  meat  market  less,  we  would 
have  less  illness. 

Ninth.  About  this  "new"  serum,  we  agree  again 
with  those  members  of  our  profession  and  with  the 
many  scientists,  and  thinkers  of  all  countries  who 
consider  serums  a  new  fad — still  in  the  experimental 
stage  to  be  very  mild  or  conservative  about  it.  In 
other  words,  experimental  serumizing  does  no  good. 
It  opens  the  door  for  the  very  disease  it  is  supposed 
to  prevent  because  serums  and  vaccines  are,  in  them- 
selves, filthy  substances  extracted  from  the  poison- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  105 

cms  blood  of  animals  and,  evidently,  contaminating 
to  our  blood. 

Tenth.     You  may  now  ask:     "What  causes  in- 
fluenza, and  what  are  the  remedies?" 

CAUSES 

(1)  Too  Much  Eating.    We  are  a  race  of  glut- 
tons, of  stomach  worshipers.    We  make  dumps  of  our 
helpless,  neglected  and  hapless  stomachs;  hence  we 
are  continually  accumulating  poisonous  end-products 
in  the  system. 

(2)  Adulterated  Foods.     Yes:  we  eat  a  great 
deal   of   adulterated   food,   especially  when  we   eat 
certain  meats  and  canned  goods.    This  sort  of  eating 
naturally  produces  more  toxins,  end-products,  arid 
ptomains  in  our  bodies. 

(3)  Vaccination.    Despite  the  fact  that  medical 
men  disagree  as  to  the  efficacy  of  vaccination  (and 
perhaps  millions  of  parents  are  opposed  to  compul- 
sory vaccination)   thousands  of  children  are  need- 
lessly and  harmfully  vaccinated  to  prevent  a  certain 
filth  manifestation  known  as  smallpox.     Instead  of 
preventing,  this  only  pollutes  the  blood  and  helps 
induce  the  very  disease  vaccination  is  supposed  to 
prevent.     This    vaccine    injected    usually    leaves    a 
poisonous  residue  in  their  little  bodies,  which  sooner 
or  later  comes  to  the  surface  in  the  form  of  influenza, 
diphtheria,  measles,  tonsillitis,  pneumonia,  and  other 
"outbreaks."     (See  Articles  and  Comment  on  "The 
Vaccination  Problem"  in  Part  II.) 

(4)  Nervous,  Hysterical,  and  Anxious  Moods. 
For  the  past  several  years  people  have  been  more 


106  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

hysterical  and  irritated  generally  than  ever  before. 
The  world-wide  war  naturally  had  its  share  in  pro- 
ducing "anxious  moments,"  a  circumstance  causing 
many  to  eat  fast  and  be  less  careful  as  to  what  they 
ate;  hence  indigestion  and  loss  of  sleep.  Such  ab- 
normal living  and  the  "eager  pace"  to  which  most 
people  are  subjected  brings  to  the  surface,  through 
lowered  vitality,  most  of  the  so-called  "catching" 
diseases.  Some  who  speak  of  "catching"  diseases 
apparently  think  disease  a  train  about  to  leave  on 
time. 

The  truth  is,  influenza  has  always  come  from  un- 
natural living.  Somehow  we  think  of  sanitation  as 
an  external  matter,  or  something  outside  us.  We 
think  of  bathing  the  skin,  cleaning  the  teeth,  or  even 
polishing  our  shoes,  but  we  are  forgetful  when  it 
comes  to  internal  sanitation.  What  do  I  mean  by 
that?  I  mean  sanitation  of  our  stomachs  and  in- 
testines— sanitation  of  the  liver,  kidneys,  and  other 
internal  organs;  briefly,  physical  cleansing  of  the 
inner  man.  Our  internal  organs  cannot  be  clean 
when  they  are  fed  on  filthy  foodstuffs,  any  more 
than  our  minds  can  produce  clean  thoughts  if  fed 
on  filthy  literature  or  common  reading  matter. 

We  must  so  eat  and  so  live  in  general  as  to  main- 
tain normal  circulation,  clean  blood  and  proper 
equilibrium.  In  other  words,  eat  little,  if  any,  meat. 
Partake  of  fresh  vegetables,  cereals  and  fruits ;  drink 
plenty  of  clean  water,  but  no  "booze";  and  not 
parade  from  morning  till  night  with  a  plug  of 
"skunk  weed"  in  the  mouth,  as  if  advertising  the 
tobacco  trust.  We  should  remember,  especially  that 
the  nose  is  for  breathing,  and  the  mouth  not  for 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  107 

breathing  but  for  eating.  The  nose,  seldom  an  orna- 
ment, helps  us  "pull  in"  the  air  from  which  oxygen 
is  extracted  by  the  lungs,  which,  in  turn,  is  sent  by 
the  heart  to  all  parts  of  the  body  to  help  oxidize  or 
burn  up  the  accumulated  waste  in  our  corporations 
— our  self-regulating  machines. 

Another  important  point  is  not  to  become  con- 
stipated. If  necessary  we  should  consult  Mr.  Enema 
or  eat  such  natural  laxatives  as  prunes,  figs,  dates, 
bran  muffins,  fresh  fruits;  and  hot  water;  and  re- 
member that  a  day's  fast  will  never  hurt  us.  It  is 
a  digestive  crime  to  eat  when  not  hungry,  so  better 
miss  a  meal  or  two  than  overeat. 

If  for  some  unknown  reason  you  "do  not  feel 
well,"  or  you  ache  "here  and  there,"  do  this : 

( 1 )  Take  a  warm  bath. 

(2)  Go  to  bed. 

(3)  Eat    absolutely   nothing   and    drink   all   the 
water  you  wish,  either  hot  or  cold.     Your  stomach, 
too  long  evidently  a  junk  shop,  needs  a  vacation 
after  serving  so  careless  a  master.     Give  nature  a 
chance  to  burn  up   the  waste  it  has   accumulated 
and  cannot  utilize,  without  interfering  by  dumping 
more  food  into  the  already  overburdened  organ. 

(4)  Spray,  wash,  or  mop  your  nose  and  throat 
with  salt  water,  glycerine  or  any  other  cleansing 
agent.     Be  sure  to  use  the  nose  in  breathing  and 
have  plenty  of  air  coming  into  the  rooms. 

* 

(5)  If  you  have  no  fever  and  are  hungry,  eat 
fruits  and  drink  plenty  of  water.    Bran  bread,  corn 
bread  and  bran  muffins  may  be  useful.     Lemonade, 


108  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

grape  juice,   and  orangeade   are  wholesome  drinks 
at  times. 

(6)  Do  not  cover  your  head  as  if  Old  Bogy  were 
going  to  catch  you,  and  do  not  cover  yourself  with 
a  lot  of  blankets.     If  you  are  chilly,  keep   a  hot 
bottle  at  your  feet  and  the  whole  body  will  soon  feel 
warm. 

(7)  Hot  fomentations  to  the  chest  and  abdomen 
sometimes   benefit.      If   headache  be  felt,   put   cold 
compresses  to  the  head. 

(8)  Sponging  with  tepid  water,  witch  hazel,  or 
diluted  alcohol  is  sometimes  comforting,  and  gentle 
massage  with  a  soothing  lubricant  is  very  helpful 
at  times. 

If,  having  tried  these  simple  methods,  you  do  not 
improve  within  a  day  or  two,  call  your  doctor: 
"Better  be  an  hour  too  soon  than  a  few  minutes 
too  late."  Enough,  probably,  on  a  disease  but  little 
to  be  feared  if  fairly  understood. 


TUBERCULOSIS— ITS  CAUSES  AND 
PREVENTION 

At  an  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Tuberculo- 
sis Association  held  at  Boston  a  few  years  ago  these 
startling  statistics  were  read:  "Two  million  people 
in  the  United  States  are  suffering  from  tuberculosis 
or  consumption." 

Think  of  it!  Despite  the  many  physicians,  sur- 
geons, nurses,  pharmacists,  hospitals,  sanitariums, 
health  resorts,  drugs,  midwives,  lectures,  prayers, 
editorials,  collections,  contributions  and  what  not 
for  so  many  years,  we  still  find  ourselves  confronted 
with  a  problem  that  is  growing  steadily  worse !  We 
believe  the  figures  read  at  the  Tuberculosis  Associa- 
tion meeting  could  easily  be  multiplied  by  three. 

Why  should  we  have  so  many  cases  of  tuberculosis 
in  our  most  prosperous  country?  Why  should  it  be 
on  the  increase?  Why  is  it  not  gradually  reducing 
to  a  minimum? 

CAUSES 

The  cause  or  causes  of  tuberculosis  may  be 
summed  up  in  one  phrase,  namely,  our  twentieth 
century  abnormal  mode  of  existence.  In  the  Middle 
Ages,  when  mankind  lived  more  consistently  with 
nature's  laws,  when  the  brick  tenement  and  the  fac- 
tory smoke  had  not  yet  made  their  "debut,"  tuber- 
culosis was  a  thing  unheard  of,  whereas  to-day  this 
White  Plague  is  becoming  more  prevalent  among  us. 

109 


110  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Many  factors  predispose  or  make  one  susceptible 
to  tuberculosis.  Hereditary  disposition,  narrow 
chest,  certain  diseases,  such  as  the  venereal,  vaccina- 
tion, and  pneumonia,  particular  employment  expos- 
ing artisans  to  dust  or  to  fumes  of  metals  or  minerals 
under  a  confined  and  unwholesome  air  (these  condi- 
tions could  be  prevented  if  protective  means  were 
employed),  violent  passions,  exertions  or  affections 
of  the  mind,  as  grief,  disappointment,  anxiety  or 
close  application  to  study  without  using  proper 
exercise;  frequent  debaucheries,  drinking  freely  of 
strong  liquors,  great  evacuations,  as  diarrhosas,  dia- 
betes, leucorrhoea,  immoderate  discharge  and  also 
frequently  the  obstruction  of  the  menstrual  flow; 
the  continuing  to  suckle  an  infant  too  long  under 
a  debilitated  state;  and  lastly,  exposure  to  cold, 
either  by  too  sudden  a  change  of  apparel,  keeping 
on  wet  clothes,  lying  in  damp  beds  or  exposing  the 
body  too  suddenly  to  cool  air  when  overheated  by 
exercise ;  in  short,  anything  that  gives  a  considerable 
and  sudden  check  to  the  perspiration  and  lowers 
vitality  opens  the  way  for  tuberculosis. 

Excess  or  intemperance  in  eating  and  drinking  and 
folly  of  dress  contributes  to  cause  this  disease.  This 
dress  (sometimes  undress),  exposed  chest,  tight  lac- 
ing, till  a  woman  can  hardly  stoop  or  breathe,  one 
minute  in  a  heated  ballroom  in  perspiration,  the 
next  in  extreme  cold  air,  is  enough  to  start  a  cough 
and  symptoms  of  quick  consumption  may  follow. 
Confined  and  sedentary  occupations  in  cellars  and 
factories  where  sunshine  is  a  rarity,  the  air  inhaled 
is  impure,  and  unsanitary  lavatory  conditions  pre- 
vail contribute  to  undermine  the  resistance  power 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  111 

of  a  human  being  thereby  paving  the  way  for  "T.  B." 
or  any  other  organic  illness. 

Some  claim  that  the  cause  of  tuberculosis  is  a  little 
germ  called  Bacillus  Tuberculosis.  These  fellows 
(Bacillus  Tuberculosis)  have  become  so  popular  to- 
day that  books  are  written  about  them,  microscopes 
have  become  more  important  (and  cost  more)  as  a 
result  of  them ;  laboratories  are  now  considered  more 
scientific  and  reliable  on  account  of  them;  and  next 
to  the  devil  himself,  they  are  the  most  slandered, 
abused  and  feared  fellows  known  to  polite  society! 
We  agree  with  those  members  of  the  profession  who 
hold  that  no  germ  causes  tuberculosis.  Germs  do 
not  cause  any  disease.  Further,  we  agree  that  there 
is  more  harm  in  the  fear  of  germs  than  there  is  in 
the  germs  themselves.  We  do  not  claim  that  there 
are  no  germs,  but  maintain  that  the  importance  of 
the  germ  as  the  cause  of  the  disease  has  been  greatly 
exaggerated  to  say  the  least.  If  the  present-day 
notions  concerning  the  extreme  importance  of  disease 
germs  and  their  destructiveness  were  true  the  human 
race  could  not  exist  for  one  hour.  Disease  germs 
are  everywhere.  The  air  is  full  of  "contagion." 
And  were  all  humans  susceptible  we  should  all  be  on 
our  death  beds  before  sundown.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
there  are  some  germs  that  are  present  in  parts  of  all 
animals,  especially  in  the  intestinal  tract  and  the 
mouth.  The  writer  is  not  opposed  to  the  further  re- 
search and  understanding  of  the  action  of  germs 
(which  rightfully  belongs  to  the  realm  of  Biology), 
but  cannot  agree  with  the  view  advocated  by  many 
well-meaning  physicians  that  germs  are  the  sole  or 
chief  cause  of  this  or  any  other  disease.  The  ques- 


112  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tion  arises:  If  germs  do  cause  disease,  what  causes 
germs?  Where  does  the  germ  come  from?  Why  do 
they  not  affect  all  alike?  And  have  we  less  illness 
in  the  world  to-day? 

TREATMENT  OF  TUBERCULOSIS 

To  describe  in  detail  the  general  treatment  of  "T. 
B."  patients  would  be  to  write  a  treatise  on  hygiene 
and  health.  Let  us  remind  ourselves  right  now — lest 
we  forget — that  nature  cures  all  ailments  (that  are 
curable),  and  that  nature  is  the  only  real  doctor. 
The  most  any  doctor  can  do  in  tuberculosis  or  in 
any  other  disease  is  to  help  nature  by  suggesting, 
urging  or  prescribing  various  health  measures. 

We  know  of  only  a  few  things  that  will  help. 
(Those  who  know  something  else  are  invited  to  com- 
municate with  the  author.)  They  are:  1.  Proper 
diet;  2.  Fresh  air  (open  air  living);  3.  Sunshine 
(sun  baths  if  possible)  ;  4.  Clean  water;  5.  Suitable 
clothes;  6.  Deep,  rhythmic  breathing  (through  nos- 
trils) ;  7.  Systematic,  careful  exercise  (massage  and 
electricity  are  of  service  at  times)  ;  8.  Bathing;  9. 
Cheerful  environment — and  above  all,  zvttl-power. 

AIR 

The  consumptive  requires  a  pure,  dry  atmosphere. 
He  should  travel  if  possible.  For  those  who  have 
families  whom  they  cannot  leave,  gardening  or  out- 
of-door  amusement  of  any  sort  will  be  a  good  sub- 
stitute for  travel.  Wear  loose  clothing;  sit,  stand 
and  walk  erect,  and  even  lie  with  the  shoulders 
thrown  back ;  banish  despondency — "laugh  and  grow 
fat" ;  and  be  regular  in  eating,  in  sleeping  and  in  all 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  113 

other  habits.  It  is  well  to  practice  the  taking  of  long 
breaths ;  that  is,  to  take  as  much  air  into  the  lungs 
as  they  will  contain,  and  to  hold  it  there  as  long  as 
possible ;  breathing,  of  course,  through  the  nose  only. 

EXEBCISE 

Exercise  in  the  open  air  and  bright  sunshine, 
avoiding  only  the  noontide  heat  in  summer.  Let  the 
sun  shine  freely  into  all  your  rooms.  Eat  ripe  fruit 
and  use  neither  tea  nor  coffee.  Be  sure  that  you 
obtain  your  regular  and  sufficient  portion  of  sleep 
every  day.  Wash  the  teeth  and  mouth  thoroughly 
every  night  and  morning.  Remember,  sanitation  must 
be  practiced  internally  as  well  as  externally.  If  pos- 
sible, exercise  should  be  so  taken  as  to  bring  all  the 
muscles  into  moderate  and  agreeable  action  with 
the  body  in  an  erect  posture.  Walking  exercise  fur- 
nishes these  conditions  to  a  certain  extent,  but  riding 
on  horseback  has  the  advantage  of  permitting  the 
patient  to  breathe  a  large  amount  of  fresh  air,  while 
it  does  not  occasion  fatigue  or  great  difficulty  of 
breathing.  But  excessive  exercise,  either  of  the  mind 
or  body,  should  be  avoided. 


THE  DIET 


The  diet  should  be  nourishing,  digestible  and  suffi- 
ciently abundant.  Good  home-made  bread  not  less 
than  one  day  old,  puddings  of  arrowroot,  rice,  sago 
or  tapioca;  various  kinds  of  green  vegetables  and 
mealy  potatoes,  together  with  other  simple  foodstuffs 
according  to  physique,  temperament,  digestion,  etc. 
No  forced  feeding  should  be  allowed.  Pastry  and  all 
articles  that  give  rise  to  irritation  of  the  stomach, 


114  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

nausea,  eructation  or  any  other  gymptoms  of  indi- 
gestion should  be  avoided.  Pure  olive  oil  is  a  whole- 
some and  nutritious  food  as  well  as  laxative-lubricant 
that  should  be  utilized. 

BATHING 

Except  in  advanced  stages  of  tuberculosis,  bathing 
is  generally  beneficial.  But  on  no  account  should 
the  patient  bathe  when  exhausted,  when  the  body 
is  cooling  after  perspiration,  or  within  two  hours 
after  eating.  When  sea-bathing  is  not  admissible, 
sponging  the  chest  and  back  with  water  to  which 
sea-salt  has  been  added  can  generally  be  borne  and 
enjoyed,  and  when  it  is  followed  by  a  general  glow 
it  is  a  most  valuable  aid  in  promoting  capillary  cir- 
culation. 

Tuberculosis  can  be  prevented  only  by  living  a 
natural,  simple  life;  and  can  usually  be  eradicated 
from  the  system  when  one  again  begins  to  live  in 
conformity  with  natural  law. 

(Suggestive  readings:  See  "Tuberculosis  as  a 
Social  Disease"  in  the  Long  Island  Medical  Journal 
(June,  1915)  ;  and  "The  Effects  of  Civilization  on 
the  Morbidity  and '  Mortality  of  Tuberculosis"  in 
The  Journal  of  Sociologic  Medicine  (February, 
1919) ;  both  articles  by  S.  Adolphus  Knopf,  M.D., 
Professor  of  Medicine,  Department  of  Phthisiother- 
apy,  at  the  New  York  Post-Graduate  Medical  School 
and  Hospital,  etc.) 


HEADACHES— THEIR  CAUSES,  TREAT- 
MENT AND  MISTREATMENT 

"Oh,  my  head  is  bursting,"  and  "I  would  give  any- 
thing in  the  world  to  get  rid  of  my  headache."  These 
are  expressions  of  pain  and  agony  made  by  thou- 
sands of  people  every  day.  And  yet  most  of  these 
same  people  do  not  know  that  their  headaches  are 
only  symptoms  of  certain  physiological  or  anatomi- 
cal disturbances  in  their  body,  which  come  as  a  result 
of  violating  nature's  laws. 

CAUSES 

Among  the  numerous  causes  of  headaches — direct 
or  indirect — may  be  mentioned:  constipation,  bad 
air,  hunger,  fatigue,  eye  strain,  indigestion,  men- 
strual abnormalities,  brain  tumors,  various  neural- 
gias, nasal  growths  and  mouth  breathing,  worry, 
anger  or  excitement,  alcoholic  indulgence,  sexual 
debauchery,  syphilis,  hasty  eating,  excessive  eating, 
adulterated  food,  incompatible  mixtures,  overcooked 
and  undercooked  foods,  and  general  "dietetic  chaos," 
lack  of  sleep,  prolonged  nursing  of  infants,  tea,  cof- 
fee, and  other  drugs.  Other  causes  and  semi-causes 
may  be  mentioned,  but  the  aforementioned  are  the 
most  common — too  common. 

HARMFUL  REMEDIES 

When  we  stop  to  think  how  men  and  women,  espe- 
115 


116  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

cially  women,  malce  invalids  of  themselves  by  running 
to  the  drug  store  for  "a  bromo,"  "a  few  aspirin  tab- 
lets," "an  acetanilid  compound  wafer,"  or  "some 
headache  powder,"  we  realize  how  many  human  be- 
ings are  still  steeped  in  ignorance,  or  have  little  self- 
reliance  and  forethought.  They  keep  us  physicians 
busy  making  feeble  attempts  to  relieve,  revive  and 
restore  them  from  the  effects  of  such  drugs.  Such 
is  the  price  suffering  mankind  must  pay  for  its 
credulity  and  submissiveness  to  custom. 

The  truth  is,  that  the  abuse,  the  continuous  use 
of  dangerous  drugs  as  aspirin,  acetanilid  and  bromin, 
as  a  "cure"  of  headaches  is  more  harmful  to  the 
human  system  than  the  headache  itself.  What  relief 
those  drugs  afford  is  usually  obtained  at  the  expense 
of  vitality.  These  heart  depressants  (aspirin, 
acetanilid  and  bromin),  unless  very  carefully  pre- 
scribed by  a  physician,  serve  to  produce  various  de- 
rangements of  the  heart  and  other  organs,  eventually 
hastening  death. 

Another  sad  and  deplorable  fact  about  this  "head- 
ache drugging"  is  that  these  drugs  lose  their  effect 
(in  time),  while  the  victim  suffers  and  continually 
becomes  weaker.  Many,  while  suffering,  then  resort 
to  narcotic  drugs.  If  they  cannot  secure  them  from 
the  druggist  they  will  keep  on  coming  to  the  physi- 
cian, or  go  from  physician  to  physician,  finally  get- 
ting prescriptions  from  different  ones,  which  are 
filled  at  different  drug  stores.  In  this  manner  many 
a  good  woman  drifts  unconsciously  but  gradually 
into  being  a  "dope  fiend" — all  because  of  the  tempo- 
rary, otherwise  valueless,  "headache  powder."  All 
this  could  have  been  prevented  if  the  victim  had  been 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  117 

taught  the  cause  of  the  headache  and  could  have 
used  self-reliance  and  uncommonly  good  sense  meth- 
ods of  procedure  in  a  case  of  excruciating  headache. 
Further,  the  continuous  use  and  pernicious  misuse 
of  these  drugs  blunt  perception  and  destroys  the 
nervous  system,  thereby  causing  organic  lesions  and 
death.  Many  a  death  certificate  that  reads  "Died 
of  Heart  Failure"  should,  instead,  have  appeared 
"Died  of  Aspirin  Drugging,"  or  "Died  of  Headache 
Powders  and  Stupidity,"  or  "Died  a  Victim  of  Nar- 
cotics," or  "Another  Victim  of  Baccilli  Ignoramus." 

NATURAL  REMEDIES  FOR  HEADACHES 

The  causes  themselves  suggest  their  remedy  or 
treatment.  Constipation  (a  subject  referred  to  on 
numerous  occasions  throughout  the  book)  needs  lit- 
tle comment.  It  is  understood  that  a  laxative  diet 
should  be  selected.  Fruits  and  vegetables  are  ser- 
viceable. Prunes,  bran  muffins  and  the  like  may  help. 
Taking  a  glass  of  hot  water  upon  rising  and  retiring 
is  a  good  habit.  Whole  wheat  bread  should  be  pre- 
ferred and  bran  muffins  or  biscuits  should  never  be 
served  when  fresh  and  hot.  The  less  fried  food  one 
eats,  the  better.  He  should  take  exercise  regularly — 
especially  abdominal  work,  such  as  bending.  Some- 
times the  taking  of  a  few  teaspoonfuls  of  good,  un- 
adulterated olive  oil  a  few  times  daily  will  help  to 
lubricate  the  intestines  and  in  that  way  assist  nature. 

Alcohol  has  been  thoroughly  discussed  under  its 
heading  elsewhere  in  this  book. 

Bad  air  certainly  plays  an  important  role.  Among 
the  poor  it  is  not  uncommon  for  quite  a  number  to 
sleep  in  one  room,  sometimes  with  the  windows  closed. 


118  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Among  the  more  prosperous  you  will  find  people  sit- 
ting in  a  small  room  playing  pinochle  or  poker,  while 
smoking  tobacco  for  hours  at  a  time,  making  the  air 
in  the  room  as  thick  and  impenetrable  as  a  dense  fog. 
These  people  probably  have  sat  near  a  desk  all  day, 
doing  sedentary  work,  and  should  be  taking  a  long 
walk  and  getting  more  air  and  exercise.  Industrial 
conditions  are  such  to-day  that  many  workers  get 
headaches,  weak  eyes,  etc.,  from  the  chemical  fumes, 
obnoxious  gases  in  the  process  of  manufacture,  and 
various  kinds  of  irritable  dust  from  the  factory 
smoke  and  the  eternal,  monotonous  roar. 

Hunger  should  never  exist.  If  one-fourth  of  the 
food  produced  to-day  were  actually  destroyed 
the  world  would  still  have  plenty  of  food  for  every- 
body, provided  that  it  were  not  wasted  or  spoiled 
by  artificial  methods  of  preserving,  transportation 
and  profiteering. 

Eye  sir  am  is  often  due  to  reading  by  poor  light 
or  reading  too  long  a  period  at  one  time.  In  the 
schoolroom  weak  eyes  are  sometimes  developed,  be- 
cause near-sighted  children  do  not  get  seats  near  the 
blackboard,  or  they  are  placed  too  far  from  the  win- 
dow. It  does  become  necessary  sometimes  to  wear 
good  eyeglasses.  But  one  should  be  certain  that 
other  natural  means  of  correction  have  been  ex- 
hausted before  resorting  to  them.  For  this  there 
are  two  reasons:  first,  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  see 
well  without  lenses  after  getting  used  to  them;  and 
second,  because  there  is  so  much  abuse  in  optometry 
that  poor  glasses  may  only  aggravate  the  condition 
and  lead  to  other  disorders  of  vision. 

To  discuss  the  subject  of  syphilis  adequately  as  a 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  119 

cause  of  headache  would  require  a  chapter  in  itself. 
Suffice  to  say  that  unless  a  person  is  familiar  with 
the  disease  he  should  have  an  expert  treating  him. 
There  is  no  need  to  fear  syphilis  in  the  primary 
stages  any  more  than  to  fear  an  ulcer,  ordinary  in- 
flammation of  the  appendix,  a  case  of  piles  or  any 
other  such  ailment.  The  fear,  like  the  abnormal  fear 
of  germs,  is  sometimes  more  harmful  than  the  condi- 
tion itself.  The  essential  things  to  do  are  to  elim- 
inate all  bad  habits,  take  Turkish  baths  often,  elimi- 
nate from  your  diet  flesh  meats,  stimulants,  condi- 
ments and  pastries,  take  regular  exercise  and 
practice  deep  nasal  breathing.  (Read  Chapter  on 
"Syphilis,  Its  Abnormal  Fear  and  Prevention.") 

Menstruation  is  sometimes  a  cause  of  headaches. 
Hot  mustard  foot  baths  and  general  hot  baths  prior 
to  the  appearance  of  the  menses  will  sometimes  pre- 
vent headaches.  Rest  should  be  insisted  upon  the 
first  day,  at  least.  Care  of  the  bowels,  light  diet,  and 
external  heat  while  resting  are  usually  beneficial. 

Fatigue  is  not  an  uncommon  cause  of  headache. 
One  should,  if  possible,  stop  reading,  writing,  or 
working  the  moment  he  feels  tired  or  exhausted.  It 
will  not  only  produce  headaches,  but  will  predispose 
to  dizziness,  and  cause  a  loss  of  mental  balance  so 
that  accidents  may  happen.  Many  railroad,  trolley 
car  and  jitney  accidents  that  take  place  daily  are 
due  to  fatigue.  In  fact,  four  or  five  hours  of  real 
work  daily  is  sufficient  for  a  normal  person,  from 
a  physiological  standpoint.  If  only  those  who  are 
physically  and  mentally  able  to  work  would  work, 
even  four  hours  would  be  more  than  the  human  race 
needs  to  produce  the  necessities  of  life.  We  should 


120  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

have  five  or  six  shifts  in  factories,  working  under  the 
most  sanitary  and  pleasant  conditions,  so  that  all 
who  labor  will  enjoy  their  work.  It  should  be  an 
exercise  instead  of  a  burden,  and  not  a  fight  for 
existence,  as  is  largely  the  case  to-day. 

Nasal  growths  and  mouth  breathing  cause  head- 
aches. Some  people  apparently  think  their  noses 
are  ornaments — something  to  look  at,  or  to  be  ad- 
mired, or  be  continuously  powdered  before  a  mirror. 
They  forget  that  the  nose  is  meant  for  breathing 
and  the  mouth  is  not  for  breathing,  but  for  eating. 

Sexual  debauchery,  brain  abnormalities,  indiges- 
tion, adulterated  food,  food  gobbling  and  other  such 
causes  of  headaches  are  discussed  in  various  chapters 
throughout  the  book  and  need  no  further  comment 
here. 

Worry  and  Anger  are  important  causes  of  head- 
aches. Worry,  anger,  and  fear  are  the  most  destruc- 
tive and  disease-producing  agencies  known.  But 
merely  to  say  "stop  worrying,"  or  "forget  it"  will 
not  accomplish  any  good  results  nor  will  this  help 
us  solve  the  problem.  The  truth  is  that  worry  is 
largely  due  to  a  loveless  existence  and  the  abnormal, 
chaotic  means  one  is  forced  to  adopt  to  make  his 
livelihood.  The  struggle  for  existence  consumes  so 
much  of  a  person's  time  and  energy  nowadays  that 
his  physical  and  mental  capacity  is  depleted  and  de- 
vitalized ;  he  becomes  a  weakling  and  cannot  think  in 
an  emergency.  So  he  resorts  to  worry.  This  in  turn 
generates  toxins  or  irritable,  harmful  substances  in 
his  body  which  undermine  vitality  and  pave  the  way 
for  illness  and  untimely  death.  All  the  more  reason 
why  one  should  try  hard  to  think  more  and  worry  less 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  121 

during  troubles.     Worry  does  nothing  except  break 
down  the  power  of  resistance  in  the  individual. 

As  to  anger  being  a  cause  of  headaches,  it  is  in 
itself  a  symptom  of  poor  nerve  tone.  It  can  be  over- 
come by  the  patient  himself  making  a  determined 
effort  to  outgrow  it.  After  all,  simple  living,  com- 
mon sense,  will-power  and  reasonable  opportunity 
for  developing  the  best  in  one's  self  are  the  best 
equipment  for  physical  health  and  a  headacheless 
existence. 


KIDNEY-CIDE  AND  BRIGHT'S  DISEASE 

In  the  eternal  struggle  for  existence,  in  this,  our 
mad  race  to  become  famous,  rich,  or  influential,  we 
usually  lose  our  better  self,  our  health,  and  life  itself. 
Many  a  man,  after  years  of  hard  work  and  scheming, 
when  he  is  just  on  the  verge  of  reaching  what  is  pop- 
ularly considered  "success,"  lies  down  and  dies,  or 
"compromises"  with  nature  by  becoming  an  invalid 
with  a  chronic  case  of  Bright's  Disease,  or  Kidney- 
cide.  In  other  words,  the  kidneys  will  stand  for  de- 
bauchery and  abuse  on  the  part  of  their  neglectful 
owners  no  longer,  so  they  call  out  "halt,"  and  then 
you  suddenly  cease  your  activities  or  cancel  your 
"important  engagements" — that  is  all. 

We  take  it  that  you  are  familiar  with  the  terms 
"homicide,"  "suicide,"  and  perhaps  "kidney-cide." 
Kidney-cide  may  be  considered  as  the  destruction  or 
"slaughtering"  of  the  functioning  portion  of  one's 
kidneys,  as  a  result  of  many  years'  debauchery,  vio- 
lation of  nature's  laws,  and  the  leading  of  a  genuine 
twentieth-century  life  in  general. 

Homicide  is  punishable  under  the  State  Law,  but 
kidney-cide,  a  crime  against  one's  self  and  society, 
goes  free.  It  runs  amuck  and  we  do  not  make  a 
true  effort  to  stop  it.  When  one  makes  a  glutton 
out  of  himself  he  commits  kidney-cide.  We  could 
and  should  live  on  one-half  the  food  we  eat.  (At 

present  we  live  on  one-half — the  doctors  live  on  the 

122 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  123 

other  half  and  five  packers  pile  up  net  profits  of  a 
hundred  million  dollars  a  year.) 

How  many  of  us  realize  that  those  "meatless  days" 
were  really  a  blessing?  When  we  eat  the  flesh  of 
animals  we  eat  the  end-products  such  as  urea,  uric 
acid,  dead  cells,  the  animal  sweat  and  poisonous 
waste,  but  when  we  eat  whole  grains,  legumes,  and 
fruits  the  nitrogen  supply  is  sufficient,  without  the 
urea,  sweat  and  other  poisons. 

Prof.  Leibig,  in  his  "Animal  Chemistry,"  cites  the 
restlessness  and  incessant  activity  of  meat-eating 
animals — lions,  tigers,  panthers,  wolves,  hyenas — 
and  observes  that  men,  who  habitually  cram  them- 
selves with  meat,  manifest  similar  irritability  and 
lack  of  repose.  To  be  whipped  into  stimulation  is 
not  to  be  strengthened  or  recreated.  The  meat- 
eating  animals  pace  up  and  down  with  certain  wild- 
ness  of  movement  while  the  elephant,  camel,  and  horse 
exhibit  all  the  dignity  of  reposeful  strength. 

How  many  of  us  know  that  in  the  year  1918,  in  the 
United  States,  twice  as  many  people  succumbed  to 
diseases  of  the  kidneys  as  did  in  the  year  1877,  and 
that  a  large  percentage  of  these  deaths  occurred 
between  the  ages  of  forty  and  fifty  years?  When 
our  death  rate  during  the  prime  of  life  is  doubled 
in  forty  years  it  is  high  time  that  we  sit  up  and  take 
notice.  These  deaths  during  the  prime  of  life  can 
be  avoided,  and  we  ought  to  start  a  "save  our  kid- 
neys" campaign. 

BEIGHT'S  DISEASE 

Bright's  disease,  or  inflammation  of  the  kidney,  is 
the  most  common  of  all  kidney  diseases.  In  1827 


124  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Dr.  R.  Bright  recognized  and  described  the  depend- 
ence of  dropsy  and  albuminuria  upon  kidney  disease, 
hence  the  name. 

The  kidneys  are  a  vital  organ  and  cannot  be  im- 
paired to  any  extent  without  serious  or  fatal  results. 
Many  cases  of  Bright's  disease  develop  and  pass  to 
a  fatal  close  without  ever  experiencing  any  distress 
in  the  back.  Bright's  disease  is  usually  a  disease  of 
the  ultra  robust;  a  disease  of  the  man  who  eats 
everything  he  wants,  and  all  he  wants,  smokes  all  he 
wants,  abuses  his  health  all  he  wants,  and  says,  "It 
never  hurts  me."  It  is  a  disease  of  people  who  are 
unfortunate  in  not  being  affected  immediately  by 
their  bad  habits,  but  with  whom  nature  opens  an  ac- 
count, runs  it  as  long  as  possible,  then  suddenly 
demands  payment  in  full.  Bright's  disease  usually 
develops  in  strong  men  who  would,  under  careful 
habits  of  living,  attain  an  age  of  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  twenty  years. 

CAUSES 

Some  of  the  important  causes  of  Bright's  disease 
are:  overeating  and  underworking;  excessive  use  of 
tobacco,  and  debauchery  in  general;  certain  drugs, 
such  as  turpentine,  oil  of  mustard,  lead,  phosphorus, 
chloroform,  ether,  bichloride  of  mercury,  carbolic 
acid,  potassium  chlorate,  cantharides,  mineral  acids, 
etc. ;  strong  tea  and  coffee.  The  frequency  of  nephri- 
tis in  chronic  drinkers  proves  the  deleterious  effect 
of  alcohol,  whether  it  acts  directly  as  a  poison  to 
the  kidneys  or  simply  as  a  predisposing  cause.  Other 
possible  causes  of  kidney  inflammation  are :  exposure 
to  cold,  extensive  burns  of  the  skin  surface,  typhoid, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  125 

typhus,     diphtheria,     measles,     smallpox,     malaria, 
cholera,  yellow  fever,  syphilis,  and  tuberculosis. 

In  other  words,  our  "twentieth  century  express" 
methods  of  living  gradually  undermine  health,  even- 
tually destroying  vital  action  of  the  kidneys,  paving 
the  way  for  our  future  estate  in  the  "happy  hunting 
grounds."  When  the  human  animal  eats  excessively, 
even  though  he  may  digest  most  of  it,  the  kidneys  are 
overworked  by  being  forced  to  eliminate  an  unusual 
amount  of  burned-up  food.  When  a  man  eats  "any- 
thing and  everything"  and  digests  only  a  part  of  it 
the  kidneys  are  overworked  to  a  still  greater  degree 
by  keeping  them  constantly  at  the  emergency  work 
of  eliminating  food  toxins  that  are  formed  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  fermentation  and  putrefaction  of  unused 
food  in  the  stomach  and  bowels. 

PREVENTION THE    BEST    TREATMENT 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  discuss  the  treatment  of 
Bright's  disease  or  kidney  abnormalities.  The  au- 
thor here  is  interested  in  general  preventive  measures. 
The  cause,  of  course,  when  possible  must  first  be 
removed.  Proper  preventive  measures  should  be  in- 
sisted upon  in  those  whose  occupations  bring  them 
into  contact  with  the  various  industrial  and  chem- 
ical causes  of  the  diseases,  as  lead  and  mercury. 
Overexertion  should  be  avoided,  especially  by  one 
who  is  subject  to  or  predisposed  to  nephritic  attacks, 
as  it  has  been  shown  that  excessive  exercise  can 
produce  albumin  and  casts  in  the  urine  of  even  nor- 
mal individuals.  Mental  anxiety  as  manifested  prior 
to  a  final  examination  at  school  or  college  may  pro- 
duce albumin.  Exposure  to  cold  and  wet  for  any 


126  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

prolonged  period  should  be  avoided,  or,  if  unavoid- 
able, a  reaction  should  be  brought  about  by  vigorous 
rubbing,  the  application  of  heat  and  exercise. 


DIET 


The  diet  should  be  that  which  will  keep  up  the 
nutrition  with  least  possible  work  upon  the  kidneys. 
Fruits  and  certain  vegetables  should  form  the  chief 
article  of  diet,  although  no  rigid  system  of  diet  can 
be  formulated  for  all  kidney  diseases,  nor  for  all 
stages  of  any  form  of  nephritis.  Some  of  the  for- 
bidden or  undesirable  articles  of  food  usually  are: 
sugar,  ices,  pastry  and  sweet  foods  generally;  new 
bread,  butcher's  meats,  beef  tea,  meat  essences  and 
strong  soups;  recooked  meats,  stews,  hashes,  and 
meat  generally;  potatoes,  peas  and  broad  beans. 

Almost  all  cases  of  Bright's  disease  are  curable 
if  taken  in  the  early  stages.  If  the  patient  can  be 
induced  to  give  up  his  old  habits  and  live  consistently 
with  good  kidney  health,  the  degenerative  process 
can  be  checked  and  a  wholesome  equilibrium  be  estab- 
lished. But  if  the  patient  follows  these  beneficent 
directions  grudgingly  or  listlessly,  as  if  he  did  the 
world  and  his  wife  a  favor,  he  is  doomed. 


DRUG  ADDICTS  OR  "DOPE"  FIENDS 

The  problem  of  the  drug  habitue  or  addict  in 
the  United  States  is  appalling  and  shocking.  To 
those  who  have  kept  pace  with  medical  literature  this 
chapter  will  not  be  new.  To  those,  again,  who  are 
not  familiar  with  this  timely  and  vital  subject  the 
author  intends  merely  to  introduce  it. 

EXTENT   OF  USE 

It  is  heart-breaking  to  think  of  the  thousands  of 
social  victims  whose  dream  ships  have  gone  down 
in  the  relentless  sea  of  time;  who  feel  themselves 
sinking,  with  hearts  faint  from  hoping,  and  with 
eyes  weary  from  watching  for  the  moment  when  they 
will  become  free  from  the  shackles  of  "dope"  slavery. 
Think  of  the  broken  hopes,  broken  homes,  broken 
hearts;  heartache  of  wives,  loneliness  of  mothers, 
orphanage  of  children,  agony  of  sweethearts,  broken 
health  and  early  deaths  of  young  men  and  women, 
all  due  to  the  slavery  of  commercialized  narcotic 
drugging. 

It  has  been  estimated  by  the  Committee  of  Scien- 
tists appointed  by  the  United  States  Treasury  De- 
partment that  the  illegitimate  use  of  such  narcotics 
as  opium,  cocaine,  and  heroine  is  increasing  at  an 
alarming  rate.  This  is  indicated  by  the  figures, 
which  show  an  enormous  growth  in  the  annual  total 

of  the  drugs  used,  from  192,000  pounds  of  four 

127 


128  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

decades  ago  to  nearly  500,000  pounds  at  present.  It 
has  been  further  estimated  that  there  is  from  10  to 
60  times  more  opium  used  in  the  United  States  than 
in  China.  The  legitimate  traffic  is  equaled  if  not 
exceeded  by  the  illegal  sale  of  such  drugs.  The  drug 
addicts  pay  annually  approximately  $61,000,000  for 
gratifying  their  abnormal  cravings.  About  250,000 
addicts  are  unemployed.  They  lose  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  million  dollars  in  wages  annually. 
These  figures'  do  not  include  the  extensive  under- 
ground traffic. 

HOW   TO   SOLVE   THE   PBOBLEM 

The  average  narcotic  addict  is  anxious  to  be 
helped  and  cured.  Every  case,  aside  from  the  gen- 
eral methods  of  treatment  that  might  be  employed, 
should  receive  individual  or  special  attention  accord- 
ing to  the  causes  or  circumstances  surrounding  the 
case.  But  the  duty  of  the  public  is  to  prevent  the 
desire  for  drug-taking.  Physicians  should  begin 
thinking  about  this  matter  more  seriously,  make  espe- 
cial efforts  to  dispense  mild  drugs  for  the  relief  of 
pain.  We  should  prefer  that  the  physician  be  paid  a 
few  dollars  more  than  he  usually  charges  if  he  would 
remove  his  coat,  roll  up  his  sleeves,  ask  for  a  basin 
of  hot  water,  a  few  Turkish  towels  and  make  the 
necessary  hot  fomentations  over  portion  of  the  body 
in  pain.  It  is  because  he  is  "rushed"  that  he  admin- 
isters a  "hypo"  and  perhaps  adds  another  to  the  line 
of  addicts.  (Read  chapter  "The  Doctor  and  the 
Public,"  for  more  details  about  the  doctor's  duties 
and  rewards.) 

Hospitals,  including  sanitariums,  health  resorts, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  129 

homes  of  health  and  almshouses,  should  begin  exer- 
cising similar  degrees  of  caution.  The  hospital  facil- 
ities should  be  highly  equipped  and  nurses  should 
be  available  in  larger  numbers  so  that  no  one  will, 
in  order  to  "save  time,"  neglect  the  patient  by  "jab- 
bing in"  another  hypodermic  of  morphine — many 
times  avoidable,  if  more  time  were  at  hand.  (Read 
chapter  "Hospital  Abuses.") 

DRUG   ADULTERATIONS 

Another  no  less  important  matter  worth  consider- 
ation concerning  the  administration  of  narcotics, 
when  really  necessary,  is  that  the  drug  itself  may 
often  be  adulterated — and  sometimes  replaced  by  a 
substitute.  During  the  war  of  1914-1919  it  was 
revealed  that  amazing  frauds  in  drugs  existed.  Tal- 
cum powder  has  been  substituted  for  aspirin.  Potas- 
sium bromide  has  been  found  to  consist  of  only  one 
part  potassium  bromide  and  nine  parts  of  Epsom 
Salts.  Compounds  of  starch  and  table  salt  were 
sold  for  Neosalvarsan — "a  second  cousin  to  Salvar- 
san,"  ("606") — a  dangerous  preparation  used  by 
some  in  "curing"  syphilis. 

THE  ECONOMIC  ASPECT 

Last  but  not  least  is  the  economic  aspect  of  the 
question.  The  taking  of  narcotics  or  drugs  can  be 
best  eliminated  or  materially  reduced  if  the  funda- 
mental cause  will  be  considered  not  with  one  eye 
closed  and  the  other  one  asleep.  Each  man  and 
woman  who  works  for  a  living  should  be  given  the 
opportunity  of  working  as  long  as  he  is  physically 
and  mentally  able.  Secondly,  he  should  be  so  com- 


130  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

pensated  that  he  will  not  only  be  able  to  work,  but 
will  enjoy  the  work,  and  at  the  same  time  have  the 
means  to  become  interested  in  wholesome  amusements 
and  recreation.  By  these  means  fewer  addicts  would 
be  produced.  Until  most  people  understand  this 
vital  problem  more  fully  it  remains  the  human  duty 
of  those  who  do  know  and  feel  to  educate  others. 
Until  the  people  themselves  are  aroused  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  true  situation  we  shall  have  but  little 
improvement  no  matter  how  many  prescriptions  are 
written,  laws  made,  sermons  preached,  editorials 
written,  or  time  and  money  spent.  Not  force  but 
education — and  that  with  tolerance  and  kindness — 
will  hasten  the  solution  of  this  timely  and  human 
health  problem. 


SANE  OR  INSANE? 

It  is  becoming  a  difficult  matter  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  sane  and  insane.  What  is  popularly  con- 
sidered "sane"  may  in  reality  be  "insane."  What 
we  to-day  are  inclined  to  look  upon  as  "insane"  may 
in  the  future  prove  to  be  "sane."  Who  is  to  be  the 
judge,  when  our  own  knowledge  and  conception  of 
such  matters  is  limited  and  has  become  more  or  less 
one-sided  and  somewhat  perverted,  so  that  we  are 
not  always  capable  of  comprehending  the  real  nature 
of  this  problem? 

The  Connecticut  State  Report  of  a  few  years  ago 
showed  4,100  insane  persons  confined  to  institutions 
for  the  insane.  Of  course,  the  figures  would  have 
swelled  a  little  if  some  "who  are  out"  should,  if  prop- 
erly placed,  "be  in."  Many  prisoners  are  mentally 
and  physically  ill  and  should  be  in  an  institution  or 
home  of  health.  They  should  be  treated  as  real 
patients  with  all  the  attention  and  care  that  it 
implies. 

While  writing  of  prisoners  I  am  reminded  of  the 
statement  made  by  Dr.  Paul  E.  Bowers,  medical 
superintendent  of  the  Indiana  Hospital  for  Insane 
Criminals :  "Probably  50  per  cent  of  all  court  trials 
are  concerned  with  criminal  cases,  yet  infinitely  more 
attention  is  given  to  the  legal  classification  of  crime 
and  the  various  modes  of  punishment  than  is  given 

to  the  criminal  himself.     Our  jurists,  it  seems,  con- 

131 


132  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tinue  to  study  books  instead  of  men,  searching  in 
ponderous  volumes  of  citations;  resurrecting  de- 
cisions from  the  legal  graveyard  of  the  past;  and 
with  crumbling,  moth-eaten  and  time-worn  prece- 
dents, they  attempt  to  regulate  the  unsocial  conduct 
that  springs  from  a  disordered  mentality."  Dr. 
Bowers  made  a  study  of  100  prisoners,  each  of  whom 
had  been  convicted  not  fewer  than  four  times,  and 
found  that  45  of  them  were  insane  or  feeble-minded, 
and  in  every  instance  the  mental  defectiveness  bore 
a  direct  casual  relation  to  their  crimes.  They  were 
nevertheless  tried,  sentenced  and  punished  as  if  they 
were  absolutely  and  totally  responsible  for  their 
actions.  It  has  been  estimated  that  these  45  defec- 
tives had  had  altogether  about  180  trials.  It  cost 
on  an  average  of  $1,000  to  convict  a  prisoner. 
Thus  at  least  $180,000  was  spent  in  getting  those 
poor  mental  cripples  into  a  prison  when  they  really 
should  have  gone  to  a  hospital.  No  wonder  that 
George  Bernard  Shaw  calls  the  British  Police  Court 
"Joke." 

PEESS   CLIPPING 

Shaw  Calls  British  Police  Court  "JoJce" 

London,  May  30,  1918. — George  Bernard  Shaw  thinks  the 
British  police  court  and  prison  system  is  a  travesty  on  justice, 
that  it  is  based  on  "making  examples"  of  culprits  whether 
guilty  or  not,  and  that  there  should  be  another  Scotland  Yard 
to  detect  weaknesses  in  evidence  brought  by  police  and  wherein 
promotions  should  be  by  acquittals  obtained. 

"Every  magistrate,  every  judge  and  every  lord  chief  justice 
and  every  man  in  this  country  concerned  in  sending  men  to 
prison  ought  to  do  three  months'  imprisonment  in  order  to 
find  out  about  it,"  Shaw  told  the  Public  Vigilance  Society. 

"Our  prison  system  is  horribly  wicked.     It  leaves  every  man 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  133 

worse  than  it  found  him.  It  is  hideous  and  stupidly  cruel. 
But  now  it  is  becoming  increasingly  easy  to  convince  people, 
because  it  seems  to  me  that  in  a  very  short  time  every  honest 
man  in  the  country  will  have  done  six  months  and  got  to  know 
something  about  it." 


Further,  Prof.  Ernest  Haeckel,  in  his  Riddle  of  the 
Universe,  in  part,  says :  "We  readily  admit  that  the 
majority  of  judges  and  counsel  decide  conscien- 
tiously, and  err  simply  from  human  frailty.  Most 
of  their  errors  are  due  to  defective  preparation. 
They  have  but  a  superficial  acquaintance  with  that 
chief  and  peculiar  object  of  their  activity,  the  human 
organism  and  its  most  important  function,  the  mind. 
Most  of  the  students  of  jurisprudence  have  no  ac- 
quaintance with  anthropology,  psychology,  and  the 
doctrine  of  evolution,  the  very  first  requisites  for  a 
correct  estimate  of  human  nature." 

Anybody  with  a  scientific  turn  of  mind  who  loves 
justice  and  can  tolerate  truth  can  surely  see  the 
fallacy  of  our  old  system  and  would  welcome,  it 
seems,  the  application  of  scientific  knowledge  in  these 
cases.  We  ought  to  have  (and  some  day  will  have) 
a  number  of  physicians  attached  to  every  court  in 
the  country  having  criminal  jurisdiction  whose  func- 
tion shall  be  to  examine  the  prisoner  physically,  men- 
tally, sociologically,  and  psychically.  They  shall 
submit  their  findings  in  detail,  with  suggestions  and 
recommendations  to  the  court,  and  consult  with  the 
court  when  necessary.  We  should  then  be  doing  our 
human  duty  in  conformity  with  scientific  knowledge 
and  thereby  help  cure  many  mentally  aberrated  vic- 
tims, at  less  expense  than  the  present  cost  of  eternal 
trials,  waste  of  time  and  helpless  confinement. 


134.  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

STATISTICS 

The  Connecticut  State  Report  showed  that  4,100 
insane  persons  resided  in  the  State  Hospital  and 
almshouses.  Another  striking  feature  is  the  fact 
that  insanity  in  this  state  is  increasing  by  150  cases 
each  year.  Just  think  of  such  a  report!  At  that 
"progress"  the  question  arises:  How  many  more 
years  will  it  take  until  most  of  the  people  will  be 
classified  as  insane?  Who  knows  but  that  the  years 
to  come  may  not  yield  a  more  "prosperous"  harvest 
of  lunatics?  According  to  these  statistics,  one  in 
every  330  of  the  population  is  insane.  The  next  time 
you  notice  a  member  in  your  lodge,  union  or  church 
"flying  off  the  handle,"  or  hear  him  maligning  and 
slandering  an  active,  interesting  fellow  member,  re- 
member he  may  be  one  of  the  330.  Note  this:  the 
Connecticut  rate  is  not  so  high  as  the  New  York  and 
Massachusetts  rate,  where  it  is  one  in  every  250. 
Well,  well,  well !  We  have  something  to  be  thankful 
for,  after  all.  Just  think  of  it,  our  "next  door  neigh- 
bors," New  York  and  Massachusetts,  are  just  a  little 
more  insane  than  we  are.  You  need  not  laugh.  It  is 
not  the  victim's  fault.  Maybe  it  is  partially  due 
to  the  political  excitements  of  the  last  few  years. 
Maybe !  At  any  rate  and  at  all  hazards,  it  is  a  sad 
state  of  affairs. 

UNQUESTIONED    FACTS 

The  subject  of  insanity  and  crime  is  largely  an 
economic  or  sociological  problem.  Statistics  prove 
that  when  the  cost  of  food,  clothing  and  shelter  is 
low,  crimes  against  property  diminish  at  a  remark- 
able rate. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  135 

Hereditary  insanity  plays  an  important  role  in 
the  production  of  criminals  and  seems  to  go  hand 
in  hand  with  alcoholic  heredity.  (And  what  is  in- 
heritance if  not  environment  in  its  last  analysis?) 
A  child's  brain  is  much  more  susceptible  to  poisons 
than  that  of  the  adult,  and  the  transmission  of  alco- 
hol in  the  milk  of  the  wet  nurse,  where  it  has  been 
introduced  in  the  mouth,  is  a  crime  which  should  not 
be  permitted.  It  is  a  crime  not  only  against  the 
helpless,  unfortunate  infant,  but  against  humanity 
at  large.  Statistics  prove  that  out  of  2,800  of 
under-age  criminals  7.4  per  cent  were  found  to  be 
of  alcoholic  heredity.  Out  of  34  cases,  criminals  of 
different  degrees,  seven  had  insane  fathers;  two  had 
epileptic  fathers;  four  had  insane  mothers;  while 
others  had  insanity  in  the  different  branches  of  the 
family. 

CAUSES  OF  INSANITY 

As  to  the  causes  of  insanity,  it  may  be  summed  up 
in  one  phrase :  "crass  commercialism,"  or  our  twenti- 
eth century  mad  rush  for  existence.  We  may,  how- 
ever, be  "polite"  about  it  and  mention  some  of  the 
contributing  factors  and  apparently  leading  causes, 
viz.:  (1)  loveless  marriages;  (2)  sexual  abuse,  vene- 
real diseases,  and  sex  ignorance;  (3)  "booze"  (alco- 
holic indulgence) ;  (4)  adulterated  food,  lack  of 
proper  and  sufficient  food,  and  overeating;  (5)  vac- 
cines and  serums;  (6)  unnecessary  surgical  opera- 
tions on  the  reproductive  organs  and  the  excessive 
use  of  opiates,  "606"  and  other  powerful  drugs;  (7) 
and  the  unscientific,  abnormal,  hasty,  and  competi- 
tive methods  pursued  by  most  humans  in  making  a 
livelihood. 


136  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Among  children  we  observe  that  the  slave-driving, 
unscientific  methods  of  our  present  educational  sys- 
tem in  schools — a  system  which  does  not  take  into 
consideration  the  individuality  of  the  child — a  sys- 
tem which  piles  its  burden  on  all  children  alike,  no 
matter  what  the  nervous  temperament  or  the  phys- 
ical condition  of  the  child  may  be,  a  system  which 
does  not  regard  or  consider  the  nervous  stability  of 
the  child,  are  among  the  next  important  factors  in 
the  production  of  insanity  in  children.  Thus  we  see 
that  our  economic,  educational,  legal,  surgical  and 
intolerant  system  of  events  are  insanity-producing, 
and  not  until  we  begin  to  live  naturally  and  become 
truth-loving  and  justice-loving  can  we  ever  hope  to 
reduce  the  steadily  increasing  cause  of  insanity. 


SYPHILIS— ITS  ABNORMAL  FEAR  AND 
PREVENTION 

If  the  great,  anxious,  restless,  and  feverish  mass 
we  call  humanity  only  knew  what  a  plague  syphilis 
(also  gonorrhoea)  really  is,  to  what  extent  and  in 
how  many  insidious  ways  it  is  spread  among  the 
innocent,  the  people  would  rouse  from  their  former 
superstitions  and  proud  lethargy  and  take  more  in- 
terest in  this  timely  health  problem. 

GENERAL    CAUSE 

When  human  sanitation — internal  as  well  as  ex- 
ternal, mental  as  well  as  physical — is  neglected,  one's 
natural  resistance  to  infection  is  lowered,  and  he  be- 
comes susceptible  to  syphilis  as  to  any  other  filth 
manifestations.  During  this  low  state  of  vitality 
(no  matter  how  "healthy  looking'*  or  robust  a  person 
may  be)  syphilis  can  be  acquired,  not  only  through 
a  direct  medium,  such  as  illicit  coitus,  but  through 
such  apparently  "harmless"  and  indirect  mediums  as 
contaminated  closets,  tools,  toilet  articles,  wearing 
apparel,  stained  sheets,  hanging  straps  in  street  cars 
and  drinking  cups. 

THE  TEEACHEEOUS  NATUEE   OF  SYPHILIS 

Still  more  sad  is  the  situation  when  we  learn  that 
even  children  are  not  exempt  from  contamination  by 
this  loathsome  disease  through  channels  other  than 

137 


138  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

heredity.  For  example,  through  oft  kissing,  vac- 
cination (Dr.  L.  Duncan  Bulkley,  in  his  book  on 
"Syphilis  in  the  Innocent,"  cites  1,863  cases  of  syph- 
ilis in  children  as  a  result  of  vaccination — "Dr. 
Foote's  Home  Cyclopedia"),  syphilitic  wet  nurses, 
and  through  similar  channels. 

Do  not  these  facts  as  to  the  frequency  of  trans- 
mitting syphilis  to  the  innocent  children  make  one 
realize  the  immediate  importance  of  eliminating 
false  modesty  and  inaugurating  a  campaign  of  edu- 
cation? Is  it  not  more  rational  and  human  to  im- 
part the  truth  about  sex  problems  to  our  innocent 
youth  than  to  permit  them  to  grow  up  in  ignorance 
and  stupidity  so  that  later  they  fall  an  easy  prey 
to  sex  perversion  and  abuse,  which  drains  their  nerve 
force?  And  think  of  the  innocent,  loving  babe  born 
into  the  world  blind,  deformed,  and  a  weakling  be- 
cause it  has  inherited  from  its  parents  (usually  from 
the  father)  "germs"  which  may  be  termed  baccillus 
ignoramus  and  baccillus  false  modesticus. 

Equally  as  horrible  is  the  sad  truth  that  thousands 
of  innocent  married  women  have  operations  on  the 
ovaries,  womb,  and  fallopian  tubes,  and  that  many 
of  them  die  during  the  operation  or  soon  after  as 
a  result  of  syphilis  transmitted  to  them  by  their 
husbands.  Any  human  being  with  a  heart,  brain, 
and  conscience  who  knows  these  truths  and  does  not 
raise  his  voice  or  pen  in  protest  for  these  innocent 
ones  whose  weak  voices  have  long  gone  unheard  (ex- 
cept for  a  "whisper")  has  the  manhood  of  a  kitten 
and  a  conscience  about  the  size  of  a  peanut. 

Worse  than  all  is  the  deplorable  fact  that  the 
young  husband  often  does  not  even  know,  before 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  139 

marriage,  that  he  has  syphilis.  He  is  unconscious 
of  the  fact  that  he  transmitted  this  filthy  condition 
to  his  wife  and  offspring.  Is  it  not  time  that  we 
demand  legislation  toward  "a  clean  bill  of  health" 
prior  to  marriage?  (Read  chapter  "Venereal  Dis- 
ease, Prostitution  and  Vice  Prevention.") 

THE  WASSEEMANN  TEST  FOB,  SYPHILIS 

The  Wassermann  test  or  reaction  as  a  diagnostic 
method  has  become  part  of  the  usual  routine  with 
many.  It  is  just  as  reliable  a  test  for  syphilis  as 
would  be  the  inoculating  of  powdered  popcorn  or 
cranberry  sauce  into  the  blood-stream  of  a  human 
being  to  find  out  whether  or  not  he  has  the  measles  or 
gout.  Many  patients  who  never  have  had  syphilis, 
on  whom  the  Wassermann  blood  test  has  been  tried 
out,  have  proved  to  be  positive.  Then  again,  in 
patients  who  had  syphilis  it  resulted  in  a  negative 
reaction.  This  sort  of  "reliability"  is  so  unreliable 
that  the  continuous  employment  of  it  in  the  name  of 
science  only  desecrates  the  term  science  and  makes  a 
mockery  of  those  natural,  physical  tests  which  really 
are,  comparatively  speaking,  reliable.  Think  of  the 
inconsistency  of  believing  syphilis  to  exist  when  the 
reaction  is  positive,  and  then,  in  conformity  with  the 
same  test,  to  deny  its  existence  when  the  test  reacts 
negatively. 

It  is  even  claimed  by  some  investigators  that  the 
reaction  may  change  twice  or  more  in  the  short  space 
of  only  two  or  three  months.  What  value  can  be 
attached  to  such  a  test?  And  yet  diagnosis  is  based, 
many  times,  on  just  such  procedure.  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  many  who,  not  having  syphilis,  are  treated 


14,0  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

for  it,  have  their  nervous  systems  destroyed,  blood 
system  and  heart  deranged,  by  the  contra-indicated 
use  and  abuse  of  mercurial  drugs  and  this  "panacea" 
commonly  called  "606"? 

TREATMENT 

Many  physicians  are  still  depending  on  artificial 
measures  such  as  "606"  and  the  like  for  the  "cure" 
of  syphilis.  Such  measures  as  cleansing  the  system, 
keeping  it  clean  by  proper  eating  and  fasting  occa- 
sionally, drinking  distilled  water,  bathing  often, 
breathing  properly  and  living  normally  in  general 
are  neglected  or  considered  of  secondary  importance. 
The  truth  is,  we  should  never  treat  a  disease;  we 
should  treat  or  care  for  the  patient.  Let  nature 
cure  the  "disease,"  or  that  group  of  symptoms  we 
call  diseases,  the  doctor  looking  after  the  symptoms 
only,  by  such  health  measures  as  are  indicated. 
There  is  no  stereotyped  recipe  for  the  treatment  and 
cure  of  syphilis. 

Until  recently  there  were  three  "recognized"  the- 
ories regarding  prevention,  cure  and  mitigation  of 
syphilis:  1.  Abstinence  from  prostitution;  2.  Cer- 
tain mercurial  salves  to  be  employed  as  preventives ; 
and  3.  Regulation  of  prostitution.  They  are  still 
considered  "good  and  binding"  by  some. 

The  first  method  is  abstinence  from  prostitution. 
Yes:  this  idea  is  a  very  good  one.  Better  still,  we 
should  not  have  the  causes  that  make  for  prostitution 
which  prevent  the  early  marriage  of  thousands  of 
healthy  young  people  who  would,  as  nature  intended, 
procreate  the  race  and  uphold  the  "fireside,"  if  they 
were  able  financially. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  141 

The  second  method  proved  unsatisfactory  because 
most  venereal  infections  in  men  are  acquired  while 
in  a  state  of  alcoholic  excitement,  and  it  stands  to 
reason  that  when  a  man  is  intoxicated  he  does  not 
think  far  enough  to  protect  himself  by  such  methods ; 
second,  because  the  physical  system  of  some  patients 
does  not  tolerate  mercury  or  any  of  its  compounds. 
In  fact,  "calomel  doping"  and  continuous  use  of 
mercurials  among  other  things  will  sometimes  cause 
salivation  and  loosen  the  teeth  from  the  roots. 

The  third  method  has  been  police  regulation  of 
prostitution.  In  the  light  of  the  "critique  of  pure 
reason"  it  will  not  be  effective,  if  by  this  is  meant 
merely  the  examination  of  the  prostitute.  But  if  we 
were  to  add  an  examination  of  him, — the  male,  so 
that  he  cannot  enter  a  home  of  ill  fame  unless  per- 
fectly well,  then  regulation  will  begin  to  regulate. 
Medical,  hygienic  and  police  regulation  (isolation  or 
segregation)  in  conjunction  with  a  systematic  cam- 
paign of  education,  and  giving  the  people  good 
economic  conditions  will  take  care  of  the  problem  of 
prostitution.  This  method  if  adopted  in  its  entirety 
would  be  a  much  better  plan  than  the  hypocritical, 
"camel's-head-in-the-sand"  method,  which  is  the  case 
to-day. 

"606" 

If  mercury  is  a  specific  in  the  treatment  of  syphilis 
as  some  physicians  still  claim,  then  why  in  the  name 
of  consistency  and  common  sense  did  they  welcome 
with  such  wild  enthusiasm  and  open  arms,  this  new 
preparation,  brought  all  the  way  from  Germany, 
commonly  known  as  "606"?  The  technical  name  for 


142  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

this  destructive  and  detestible  arsenical  compound  is 
Dioxy-Amido-Arseno-Benzol.  But  it  never  did  pre- 
vent, does  not  prevent  and  cannot  prevent  nor  cure 
syphilis.  For  those  of  my  brother  physicians  who 
still  believe  in  the  efficacy  of  "606"  and  the  like,  I 
have  nothing  but  good  will,  yet  I  hope  that  they  will 
sometimes  find  time  to  study  both  sides  of  the 
question. 

Prof.  Jno.  King — physician,  chemist,  and  scholar 
in  an  article  written  in  the  year  1846  and  reprinted 
in  a  recent  number  of  The  Gleaner,  in  part,  says: 
"In  the  form  of  an  oxide  then,  is  mercury  carried 
into  the  mass  of  blood,  to  be  thence  circulated  to 
every  part  of  the  system.  Combining  with  the  phos- 
phoric acid  of  the  bones,  a  phosphate  of  mercury 
is  formed,  leaving  the  bone  in  the  state  of  an  oxide  of 
calcium,  or  common  lime;  the  bony  structure  being 
thus  chemically  decomposed,  crumbles  and  exfoliates. 

"A  similar  combination  with  the  phosphoric  acid 
of  the  nerves  and  brain,  produces  nervousness,  severe 
pains,  loss  of  memory,  headaches,  etc.,  and  as  the 
changes  of  the  atmosphere  act  upon  mercury  in  any 
state,  the  suffering  patient  can  predict  the  various 
changes  about  to  take  place  in  the  weather,  with  as 
much  precision  as  could  be  derived  from  the  most 
delicate  barometer. 

"The  oxide  of  mercury  is  capable  of  producing  de- 
composition to  some  extent  in  every  fluid  or  solid  of 
the  human  body.  And  if  any  gentleman  of  any  school 
can  disprove  the  above  explanation  of  the  modus 
operand*  of  mercury,  I  trust  you  will  allow  him  the 
use  of  the  columns  of  your  journal." 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  148 

THE   ABNORMAL,   FEAB.   OF   SYPHILIS 

The  abnormal  fear  of  having  syphilis  in  those 
who  suspect  "something  wrong"  has  helped  to  pro- 
long this  and  other  such  blood  impurities,  for  years 
— some  even  die  from  complications  that  have  de- 
veloped as  a  result  of  fear,  aggravation  and  worry; 
whereas,  it  would,  probably,  have  been  cured,  within 
a  few  months,  if  nature  had  been  given  a  chance  at 
the  outset. 


VENEREAL  DISEASE,  PROSTITUTION  AND 
VICE  PREVENTION 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  conclude  whether  sexual- 
ity or  hunger  plays  the  more  important  role  in  the 
life  of  a  human  being.  Sexuality,  without  question,  is 
one  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most,  powerful  factor  in 
the  individual  as  well  as  social  existence.  By  it  are 
first  awakened  the  feelings  of  love  for  one  of  the 
opposite  sex;  later  for  children,  and  last  for  all 
humanity. 

A  normal  sexual  life  leads  to  the  development  of 
virtue  and  even  to  self-sacrifice,  but  if  it  is  not 
properly  guarded,  it  may  degenerate  into  powerful 
passions  and  develop  the  gravest  vices. 

Sexuality,  aided  by  mental  control,  awakens 
noble  feelings,  which,  notwithstanding  their  sensual 
origin,  elevate  man  to  appreciate  beauty,  fine  dis- 
tinction of  right  and  wrong,  and  creative  expression. 
As  a  philosopher  said:  "Were  man  to  be  robbed 
of  the  instinct  of  procreation  and  all  that  arises  from 
it  mentally,  nearly  all  poetry  and,  perhaps,  the 
entire  moral  sense  as  well,  would  be  torn  from  his 
life." 

In  the  primitive  stages  of  man's  development,  man 
and  woman  were  not  ashamed  to  go  naked.  Even 
to-day  savages  go  almost  naked.  The  Polynesian 
and  Australian  savage  furnish  good  examples. 

(Even    the    "Broadway    savage"    is    usually    half 

144 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  145 

« 

dressed.)  Among  these  tribes,  the  female  is  the  or- 
dinary property  of  the  male.  In  such  sections  of 
the  earth  woman  is  considered  merely  a  chattel,  a 
ware  that  can  be  bought  and  sold.  The  higher  the 
order  of  society  the  less  enslavement  there  is  of 
women ;  the  more  wooing  develops  on  the  part  of  man 
and  more  respect  and  love  for  each  person  is  mani- 
fested. The  day  will  yet  come  (when  man  becomes 
truly  civilized)  when  "democracy  of  the  fireside"  and 
"republicanism  of  the  family"  will  be  living  realities, 
instead  of  fantastic  dreams,  as  is  the  case  of  to-day. 

On  the  subject  of  Sex,  Dr.  Frank  Crane  in  the 
Associated  Newspapers,  in  part,  says: 

"There  is  nothing  essentially  impure  about  the  sex 
feeling.  There  is  nothing  necessarily  wrong  or  in- 
consistent with  the  finer  things  of  life,  even  a  high 
development  of  spirituality.  On  the  contrary,  the 
most  beautiful,  the  most  refining,  the  most  conserv- 
ing and  wholesome  elements  of  a  man's  or  woman's 
experience  are  due  directly  and  indirectly  to  this 
natural  instinct.  ...  It  seems  to  be  the  law  for 
human  creatures  that  every  privilege  is  attended  by 
its  danger,  and  the  higher  the  one  the  lower  the 
depths  of  possibility  in  the  other.  .  .  .  Hence  it  is 
that  of  all  perverts,  the  sex  pervert  is  the  most  in- 
curable, the  most  wretched  in  his  own  penalty,  and 
the  most  septic  toward  society. 

"Every  boy  and  girl  has  a  right  to  be  fully  in- 
formed as  to  the  meaning  of  the  universal  instincts 
within  them,  of  the  results  of  the  sum  of  human  ex- 
perience in  dealing  with  them,  of  their  physiology 
and  psychology,  and  particularly  of  their  relation 
to  the  social  and  spiritual  life.  Not  to  equip  a  young 


146  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

person  with  this  information  is  to  do  him  or  her  a 
grievous  wrong." 

HORRORS  OF  VENEREAL  DISEASE 

The  subject  of  venereal  disease,  vice  and  its  pre- 
vention, is  a  more  serious  and  larger  problem  than 
most  people  realize.  Some  never  even  give  it  a 
thought  until  it  attacks  their  own  persons  or  enters 
their  homes.  It  is  the  greatest  curse  to  mankind. 
It  is  the  duty  of  every  intelligent  person  to  gain  a 
knowledge  of  the  startling  facts  and  lend  their  hu- 
mane efforts  to  eliminate  and  drive  out  this  social  and 
economic  disease  from  our  midst. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  venereal  diseases  cause 
the  death  of  two  hundred  fifty  thousand  people  di- 
rectly and  indirectly  each  year.  They  cost  the  lives 
of  five  hundred  thousand  prostitutes  every  six  years. 
One-eighth  of  all  human  disease  and  suffering  is  due 
to  these.  Sixty  percent  of  all  males  are  at  some 
time  in  their  lives  diseased  with  them.  Sixty  percent 
of  the  inmates  of  our  insane  asylums  are  there  be- 
cause of  them.  Eighty  percent  of  children  born 
with  sight,  but  blind  within  a  few  days,  owe  their 
misfortune  to  this  curse.  From  20  to  25  percent  of 
the  inmates  of  the  blind  asylums  are  there  because  of 
gonorrhoea.  Gonorrhoeal  infection  of  innocent  chil- 
dren is  becoming  serious,  some  cities  showing  800  to 
1,000  such  infections  each  year.  Gonorrhoea  causes 
60  percent  of  unwillingly  sterile  marriages.  Ap- 
proximately 80  out  of  every  100  women  who  die  of 
diseases  of  the  reproductive  organs  have  been  in- 
fected innocently. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  147 

In  a  book  entitled  "Commercial  Prostitution  in 
New  York  City,"  astounding  revelations  are  made 
by  trained  workers  under  the  Bureau  of  Social  Hy- 
giene, covering  ten  months  in  1912.  In  this  investi- 
gation the  activities  of  6,750  street  walkers  and 
8,167  house  prostitutes  were  looked  into.  Over  1,000 
places  given  to  prostitution  were  examined,  and  it 
was  shown  that  150,000  men  daily  patronized  the 
public  women  of  the  city. 

An  examination  of  the  inmates  of  Bedford  Re- 
formatory, all  prostitutes,  showed  that  90  percent 
had  syphilis  or  gonorrhoea,  while  170  of  the  girls  had 
both  diseases.  Can  we  grasp  the  full  meaning  of 
this  terrible  statement?  Of  course,  physicians  do, 
and  realize  that  prudishness  plays  the  more  im- 
portant part  in  keeping  such  facts  from  the  public 
eye.  One  fact  is  significant ;  that  our  youths  are  the 
greatest  sufferers,  and  by  marrying,  transmit  the 
disease  to  their  wives  and  offspring. 

From  publication  No.  147,  prepared  by  the  Amer- 
ican Social  Hygiene  Association,  and  distributed 
some  time  ago  by  the  War  Department,  the  writer 
quotes:  "Venereal  diseases  were  four  and  one-half 
times  more  prevalent  in  the  regular  army  during 
1916  than  their  nearest  rival,  measles.  The  annual 
disease  rates  per  1,000  men  in  the  United  States  for 
all  acute  infectious  diseases  in  1916  were  as  follows: 

Meningitis    29  Dysentery    2.97 

Typhoid,    etc 52  Malaria   12.52 

Scarlet    Fever 69  Measles    20.29 

Pneumonia   2.59  Venereal  Diseases 91.00 

From  an  article,  "Can  We  Stamp  Out  Venereal 


148  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Disease?"  in  Physical  Culture  (December,  1918),  by 
Admiral  Gary  Travers  Grayson,  M.D.,  Ph.G., 
U.  S.  N.,  we  quote  the  following: — 

"Although  the  medical  men  of  the  military  estab- 
lishment by  reason  of  their  experience  in  the  exami- 
nation of  recruits,  were  more  or  less  prepared  for 
the  prevailing  percentage  of  social  diseases  among 
young  and  middle  aged  men,  yet  civilian  physicians 
were  astounded  when  the  draft  medical  examinations 
disclosed  the  fact  that  in  some  groups  accepted  for 
service  during  given  periods,  there  were  found  to  be, 
in  round  numbers,  as  many  as  400  cases  of  venereal 
diseases  admitted  to  sick  list  to  every  1,000  men, 
40  per  cent,  or  four  men  out  of  every  ten  recruits. 
This  approximates  in  excess  of  20,000,000  cases  in 
the  United  States.  .  .  ." 

These  statistics  are  grave  indictments  against  our 
highly  developed  civilization  ("syphilization"). 
Something  must  be  done  before  the  entire  race  ex- 
terminates itself  from  loathsome  diseases. 

PEOSTITUTION 

The  prostitute  is  a  product  of  environment.  No 
girl  becomes  a  prostitute  out  of  mere  innate  wicked- 
ness. They  become  prostitutes  through  force  of  cir- 
cumstances. In  large  cities  many  people  are  com- 
pelled to  live  in  tenements  which  are  overcrowded. 
Not  only  are  families  compelled  to  live  in  too  close 
proximity  to  each  other,  but  they  are  compelled  to 
live  in  too  small  quarters.  Frequently  a  large  family 
is  crowded  into  one  or  two  rooms.  Sometimes  fami- 
lies living  in  one  or  two  rooms  are  compelled  to  have 
boarders  and  roomers  in  order  to  eke  out  an  exist- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  149 

ence.  Of  course,  they  are  not  to  be  blamed  for  living 
thus.  They  are  helpless.  Neither  do  I  mean  to  say, 
that  they  are  all  bad.  It  is  marvelous  how  many  of 
them  retain  their  sterling  qualities  and  virtues  in 
spite  of  these  conditions.  This  overcrowding  is  an 
invitation  to  immorality.  Frequently,  professional 
prostitution  is  carried  on  in  these  tenements,  to  the 
abject  demoralization  of  the  many  children  who 
live  in  them. 

Another  factor  that  makes  for  prostitution  is  the 
miserly  wage  paid  in  industries  during  "normal" 
times.  Many  of  the  women  and  girls  find  it  impos- 
sible on  so  small  a  sum  to  pay  for  board  and  lodging 
and  keep  their  personal  appearance  up  to  the  stand- 
ard which  their  employers  require  and  which  their 
own  impulses  dictate. 

There  are  also  women  and  girls  whose  incomes 
are  large  enough  to  pay  their  expenses,  who  have 
steady  employment,  but  whose  lives  are  joyless  and 
barren  because  of  the  monotony  of  their  never-ending 
toil  and  because  of  lack  of  social  pleasures  and  men- 
tal recreation.  Some  of  them  become  psychically 
ill  and  take  to  prostitution  to  relieve  the  monotony 
of  their  lives.  There  are  panderers  and  procurers 
of  both  sexes  whose  regular  occupation  lies  in  laying 
snares  for  innocent,  ignorant  young  girls,  leading 
them  into  lives  of  shame. 

INTERESTING   STATEMENTS 

"Even  those  who  deliberately,  and  of  free  choice, 
adopt  the  profession  of  a  prostitute  do  so  under 
stress  of  temptation,  which  few  moralists  seem  to 
realize." — GENERAL  BOOTH. 


150  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

"The  commercial  prostitution  of  love  is  the  last 
outcome  of  our  whole  social  system,  and  its  most 
clear  condemnation.  Here  there  is  no  solution  except 
the  freedom  of  woman — which  means,  of  course,  also 
the  freedom  of  the  masses  of  the  people,  men  and 
women,  and  the  ceasing  altogether  of  economic 
slavery.  Only  when  the  free  woman  is  honored  will 
the  prostitute  cease  to  exist.  The  whole  evil  of 
commercial  prostitution  arises  out  of  the  domination 
of  man  in  matters  of  sex." — EDWARD  CARPENTER. 

"These  women  are  recruited  from  those  who  are 
out  of  work.  Again:  Is  it  not  the  duty  of  society 
to  prevent  these  girls  from  falling  into  the  mire  of 
corruption  and  vice?  I  have  often  heard  patients 
say:  If  I  had  been  taught  to  earn  3  or  4  francs 
a  day  I  should  never  have  gone  on  the  streets." — 
FOURNIEB. 

"Our  sexual  anarchy  is  the  result  of  masculine 
autocracy,  as  Russian  anarchy  is  the  result  of 
Tsarism.  In  factories,  shops,  etc.,  the  average  wage 
of  women  is  2  francs  20  per  day;  but  in  domestic 
service  it  is  only  1  franc  10,  or  even  90  centimes ! 
Is  it  to  be  wondered  that  they  have  recourse  to  pros- 
titution? We  must  first  strive  with  all  our  might 
to  destroy  the  all  corrupting  supremacy  of  private 
capital  and  wealth,  with  its  exploitation  of  human 
life  and  energy;  and  we  must  further  combat  the 
use  of  all  narcotic  poisons,  especially  that  of  alco- 
hol. We  must  not  rest  until  these  two  deadly  mon- 
sters are  overthrown.  We  must  also  restore  to 
woman  the  same  natural  and  equal  rights  possessed 
by  man." — FOREL. 

These  quotations,  be  it  noted,  are  from  men  of 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  151 

international  reputation.  Booth  is  a  theologian; 
Carpenter,  a  poet ;  Fournier,  a  physician ;  and  Forel, 
an  alienist  and  specialist  on  venereal  diseases.  And 
yet  these  men — who  represent  conflicting  schools  of 
thought — virtually  unite  in  attributing  prostitution 
primarily  to  poverty. 

Artificial  or  would-be  philanthropical  magnates 
pretend  willingness  to  do  almost  anything  for  the 
prostitute ;  they  will  pray  for  her ;  organize  missions 
for  her;  hold  indignation  meetings  concerning  her; 
plead  with  her;  incarcerate  her  in  the  workhouse; 
fine  her;  medically  inspect  her  (leaving  her  clients 
scot  free  to  infect  her)  ;  weep  crocodile  tears  over 
her;  denounce  her  as  a  wilfully  corrupt  creature; 
and  then  glorify  her  as  the  innocent,  helpless  be- 
trayed victim  of  man's  inhumanity  and  beastiality. 
But  what  they  will  not  do  is  to  give  her  a  legal  right 
to  work  for  a  minimum  wage  of,  let  us  say,  $15  per 
week.  But  then,  you  see,  prayers  and  the  like  are 
extremely  inexpensive ;  whereas,  in  order  to  keep  our 
500,000  happy  go  (un)  lucky  girls  employed  at  $15 
per  week  our  "philanthropic"  brothers  would  have 
to  "cough  up"  millions  of  dollars  each  year. 

Since  venereal  diseases  continue  to  spread  like  a 
devastating  pestilence  and  strike  down  healthy  wives, 
who  are  infected  by  their  husbands,  thus  causing 
them  untold  misery  in  the  shape  of  ill  health,  opera- 
tions, and  constant  sterility;  since  in  addition  we 
also  have  to  consider  the  effects  of  the  poisonous 
"remedies"  such  as  "606" — remedies  that  are  worse 
than  the  disease;  since  over  and  above  all  these  con- 
siderations the  welfare  of  unborn  generations  is  in- 
volved in  this  question ;  since,  in  short,  that  all  means 


152  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

employed  by  society  for  preventing  these  diseases 
have  hitherto  hopelessly  failed  to  arrest  the  spread 
thereof  amongst  those  who  deliberately  incur  the 
risk  of  contagion  and  the  consequent  infection  of  the 
innocent,  it  behoves  us,  in  the  name  of  and  for  the 
sake  of  Humanity  in  general  and  Posterity  in  par- 
ticular, to  give  the  widest  possible  publicity  to  the 
problem  of  venereal  disease  and  its  prevention. 

MASTURBATION 

Before  discussing  the  prevention  of  venereal  dis- 
ease and  vice,  a  brief  comment  regarding  self-abuse 
or  masturbation  will  be  timely.  When  we  stop  to 
realize  that  the  very  foundation  of  our  modern  social 
structure — that  is,  the  maintenance  of  the  family 
and  the  continuation  of  human  life — depends  upon 
the  preservation  of  the  sexual  instinct,  and  that  its 
perversion  and  misuse  are  most  virulent  factors  in 
the  disintegration  of  the  individual  and  the  race,  then 
we  can  better  appreciate  the  significance  of  this  vital 
problem. 

Man  cannot  err  against  the  dictates  of  nature 
without  paying  the  penalty  for  his  lapse  sooner  or 
later.  The  penalty  exacted  for  masturbation  (if 
continued)  is  one  of  the  most  serious  and  awful  in 
its  nature.  To  begin  the  career  of  manhood  by  the 
abuse  of  nature's  functions,  and  that,  too,  when  the 
system  has  not  completed  the  powers  of  its  organism, 
is  contrary  to  all  the  rules  by  which  health  and 
happiness  may  be  attained.  It  is  a  vampire  feeding 
on  the  life  blood  of  its  victims.  It  not  only  occasions 
impotency,  but  it  destroys  the  excitation  itself,  by 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  153 

which  the  process  is  induced,  and  the  feeling  which 
led  to  it  are  maintained. 

PREVENTION  AND  MITIGATION 

For  the  prevention  and  mitigation  of  vice  and 
venereal  diseases  there  are  a  number  of  suggestions  to 
be  considered: 

Economic.  The  most  significant  cause  or  factor 
in  producing  prostitution  and  the  resulting  venereal 
disease  is  the  economic  circumstances  of  both  male 
and  female.  Every  female  worker,  whether  married 
or  single,  should  be  endowed  with  the  legal  right  to 
work  for  a  minimum  (and  why  not  maximum?)  living 
wage.  Most  women  in  normal  times  receive  small 
wages,  and  so  the  temptation  for  vice  becomes  great 
according  to  needs  for  necessities  of  life.  The  aver- 
age young  man  of  marriageable  age  (20  to  25)  re- 
ceives small  wages ;  sometimes  he  is  only  an  "appren- 
tice" or  "learner"  at  this  age  and  cannot  marry,  as 
he  should  and  probably  would,  if  he  could;  hence  an 
unbridled  sexual  desire  paves  the  way  for  the  com- 
panionship of  prostitutes.  Eventually  he  falls  a 
victim  of  gonorrhoea,  syphilis,  and  other  venereal 
diseases. 

Sanitary  lavatories,  closets,  and  recreation  rooms 
should  be  installed  in  all  factories.  The  best  venti- 
lation and  lighting  system  should  always  be  had. 

The  dinner  or  lunch  time  should  be  two  hours  in- 
stead of  one,  and  never  less  than  one  hour  and  a 
half. 

A  work  day  should  never  be  longer  than  six  hours. 
There  should  be  no  less  than  four  shifts.  The  piece- 


154  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

work  or  "hurry-up"  systems  should  be  abolished. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  "overtime"  work,  which  de- 
vitalizes the  nervous  system  irreparably  more  in  one 
hour  than  normal  labor  does  in  four  hours. 

Lectures  on  health  and  on  other  vital  subjects 
should  be  held  weekly  by  different  experts.  Questions 
by  the  workers  should  be  permitted  and  encouraged. 

Social.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  normal  social 
unit  is  the  family,  anything  that  tends  to  make  fam- 
ily life  difficult  or  mitigates  against  the  morals  or 
well-being  of  the  members  of  a  family  should  be 
prohibited.  Laws  should  be  enacted  to  prevent  the 
building  of  rooms  in  flats  that  do  not  furnish  suffi- 
cient cubic  feet  of  air,  and  landlords  should  be 
obliged  to  obey  the  laws  regarding  sanitation. 

Medical.  A  venereal  disease  clinic  should  be  es- 
tablished, providing  all  the  doctors  of  the  community 
have  an  equal  opportunity  to  render  service.  Fur- 
thermore, there  should  be  no  political,  religious, 
school,  or  other  prejudices  dominating  the  clinic,  as 
is  usually  the  case  to-day.  The  aim  should  be  to 
give  all  persons  of  ability  an  equal  opportunity,  at 
specified  times,  to  render  community  service.  The 
poor  should  not  have  to  pay  for  examination,  treat- 
ment or  medicine.  Further,  the  patients  should  not 
be  humiliated  (by  being  made  to  wait  for  hours  in 
the  waiting  room  or  stand  in  line),  experimented  on, 
serumated,  vaccinized,  or  "chopped"  in  any  way, 
without  their  knowledge  or  consent.  If  a  clinic  can- 
not be  maintained  along  such  scientific,  humane  and 
democratic  lines  it  ought  not  to  exist.  We  have 
too  many  of  the  "ordinary"  kind  now.  (More  about 
this  subject  under  the  heading  of  "Hospital  Abuses," 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  155 

"Abuses  of  Surgery,"  "The  Doctor  and  the  Public" 
and  "Ethics  and  the  Doctor.") 

Recreational.  Relaxation  should  follow  the  strain 
and  stress  of  labor. 

Recreation  facilities,  comfort  stations  and  bath- 
houses should  be  improved  in  all  cities. 

A  recreation  commission  should  be  elected  by  the 
people  (not  by  an  "old  fogy"  committee)  to  see  to 
it  that  the  people  have  good,  clean  dance  halls,  the- 
aters, art  galleries,  park  amusements  and  the  like. 

Dens,  "private  booths"  or  side  rooms  in  restau- 
rants, cafes  and  saloons  should  be  forbidden. 

Sex  Knowledge.  Prudery  should  be  set  aside  and 
education  substituted  for  it.  Prudery  may  be  classed 
among  the  world's  great  degenerating  forces. 

Most  children  are  permitted  to  grow  into  manhood 
and  womanhood  without  a  genuine  knowledge  of  sex. 
They  grow  up  in  ignorance  of  the  laws  of  life,  finally 
their  conception  of  sex  knowledge  becomes  tainted 
with  vulgarity.  Seeds  planted  by  vulgar  minds  are 
sometimes  hard  to  eradicate.  Parents  should  first 
know  the  subject  of  sex  themselves;  then  answer 
children's  questions  relating  to  sex  truthfully.  There 
is  no  harm  in  keeping  children  innocent  and  free 
from  sex  curiosity  as  long  as  possible ;  but  the  parent 
should  be  the  first  to  inform  the  child  on  this  vital 
subject.  Sexology  ought  to  be  taught  in  the  schools 
to  those  whose  parents  do  not  object.  Of  course 
there  should  be  different  courses  for  different  chil- 
dren, according  to  the  environment,  health  and  age. 
Special  literature  on  the  subject  should  be  sent  by 
proper  city  or  state  educational  authorities  to  all 
parents  who  have  children,  with  an  aim  in  view  of 


156  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

first  educating  the  parents,  and  second  to  secure 
their  cooperation  in  this  fight  for  a  cleaner,  stronger 
and  healthier  manhood  and  womanhood. 

The  last  few  years  have  seen  prudery  discredited, 
and  the  public,  without  wincing,  has  faced  the  truth. 
Public  sentiment  has  been  jolted  into  action  by  learn- 
ing the  startling  facts  formerly  so  carefully  con- 
cealed. Publicity  must  continue,  and  with  it  an 
earnest  effort  to  redeem  the  subject  of  sex  from  un- 
clean associations  and  raise  it  to  its  proper  high 
place.  (  Suggested  readings :  See  "Higher  Race  De- 
velopment," by  R.  Swinburne  Clymer,  M.D.,  Quaker- 
town,  Pa.) 

Education  includes  the  establishment  of  proper 
social  relations.  When  respectable  women  cease  to 
condone  the  indiscretions  of  youth,  so  called,  and 
shall  demand  the  same  high  standards  from  men  as 
those  which  they  themselves  observe,  fewer  "wild 
oats"  will  be  sown  and  a  cleaner  manhood,  moral 
and  physical,  will  be  the  result,  for  it  is  unquestion- 
ably true  that  young,  ambitious  men  live  up  (to  a 
certain  degree  at  least)  to  the  standards  set  for 
them  by  society. 

"MODESTY" 

When  every  pool  in  Eden  was  a  mirror 
That  unto  Eve  her  dainty  charms  proclaimed, 
She  went  undraped  without  a  single  fear  or 
Thought  that  she  had  need  to  be  ashamed. 

'Twas  only  when  she'd  eaten  of  the  apple 
That  she  became  inclined  to  be  a  prude, 
And  found  that  ever  more  she'd  have  to  grapple 
With  much  debated  problems  of  the  nude. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  157 

Thereafter  she  devoted  her  attention, 
Her  time  and  all  her  money  to  her  clothes, 
And  that  was  the  beginning  of  convention, 
And  modesty,  at  least,  so  I  suppose. 

Reactions  come  about  in  fashions  recent; 
Now  girls  conceal  so  little  from  the  men, 
That  it  would  seem,  to  get  back  to  the  decent, 
Some  serpent  ought  to  pass  the  fruit  again. 

— Tale  Record. 

The  Segregated  District.  The  segregated  vice 
district  of  earlier  days,  with  material  improvements, 
would  be  preferable  to  the  "scattered  system"  of 
to-day.  We  certainly  are  against  vice  and  intem- 
perance in  all  things;  but  we  will  not  approve  a 
proposition  merely  because  a  number  of  self- 
appointed  moral  censors  believe  so.  Prostitution, 
white  slavery,  and  venereal  disease  should  be  abol- 
ished. Mankind  is  sufficiently  burdened  already 
without  having  more  plagues  to  contend  with.  The 
"ostrich  method"  has  not  and  will  not  work.  We 
have  more  venereal  disease  to-day  than  in  the  days 
of  segregation,  editorials,  rigid  laws,  and  certain 
statistics  notwithstanding.  I  do  not  say  that  "seg- 
regation" will  absolutely  "segregate"  or  "cure"  the 
situation — far  from  it.  We  shall  have  prostitution, 
vice  and  venereal  disease  just  as  long  as  the  causes 
of  prostitution  and  vice  exist;  and  from  present  in- 
dications it  will  exist  for  quite  a  long  while.  There- 
fore, I  say  that  the  improved  segregated  district 
under  present  circumstances  would  be  much  more 
scientific,  humane,  and  wholesome  a  method  to  adopt 
than  the  scattered  plan  of  to-day. 


158  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

In  addition  it  must  be  demanded  that  the  male 
patron  be  examined  prior  to  being  permitted  to 
enter  the  district,  otherwise  segregation  will  not  ac- 
complish much.  Even  then  this  step  should  be  only 
a  temporary  one,  as  distasteful  as  it  is.  Conditions 
under  which  people  live  should  be  so  much  better  as 
to  prevent  possibilities  of  prostitution  and  vice  in 
general. 

The  victims  of  venereal  disease  and  the  prostitutes, 
who  are  themselves  victims  of  society,  present  a  sad 
picture.  They  are,  as  a  rule,  scorned  by  friends, 
ostracized  from  society  and  condemned  by  nearly 
every  one.  They  get  little  sympathy  at  best.  Easily 
influenced  by  the  elaborate  statements  made  by  phy- 
sicians in  their  fake  advertisements,  they  finally  fall 
into  various  traps.  Downtrodden  and  distracted, 
they  often  end  up  in  the  underworld,  victims  of 
"dope,"  followers  of  crime,  and  finally  seek  relief 
in  suicide. 

A  clean  bill  of  health,  based  upon  a  thorough  ex- 
amination of  the  whole  body,  would  do  much  to  pre- 
vent transmission  of  disease  to  innocent  wives.  It 
would  prevent  the  marrying  of  thousands  of  young 
men  and  women  who  have  had  venereal  disease  and 
still  have  it  in  their  systems.  It  would  prevent 
thousands  of  innocent  wives  becoming  diseased  within 
a  few  months  or  a  year  of  married  life,  many  times 
leading  to  the  operating  table  or  untimely  graves. 
It  would  prevent  thousands  of  abortions,  miscar- 
riages, and  deaths  of  infants  during  first  and  second 
years  of  life.  It  would  prevent  sterility,  blindness, 
and  insanity  in  a  large  measure.  Yes,  a  physical 
examination  (including  urinalysis,  etc.)  should  be  a 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  169 

condition  precedent  to  marriage,  for  it  would  be  a 
blessing  to  all  humanity. 

Not  until  we  approach  this  subject  in  a  more 
scientific  and  serious  light,  not  until  we  are  willing 
to  admit  the  real  causes  and  make  an  effort  to  elim- 
inate them,  shall  we  ever  be  much  better  off  on  this 
vital  health  problem,  no  matter  how  many  books  are 
written,  lectures  given,  prayers  uttered,  and  laws 
made.  The  subject  has  been  clothed  in  too  much 
mystery,  due  to  false  modesty,  ignorance  and  the 
worship  of  Gold.  Even  to-day  it  is  easy  to  be  mis- 
understood and  misquoted  on  a  delicate  matter  as 
this  one.  We  need  an  awakening;  a  greater  enlight- 
enment of  the  parent,  and  as  a  prerequisite,  a  closer 
relationship  between  the  child  and  the  parent.  The 
father,  in  other  words,  must  begin  to  give  more  atten- 
tion to  his  children  and  less  attention  to  his  game 
of  pinochle  or  baseball  score.  Too  long  have  the 
people  been  kept  in  ignorance  on  this  issue,  as  well 
as  on  all  health  subjects  of  importance.  It  must  be 
made  plam  to  the  people,  who  have  a  right  to  know 
and  who  must  know  if  we  really  expect  to  eradicate 
this  menace. 

SUMMARY 

Good  economic  conditions,  systematic  education, 
wholesome  recreation,  segregated  system,  including 
an  examination  of  the  male  as  well  as  the  female,  and 
a  clean  bill  of  health  prior  to  marriage  would  im- 
prove the  present  sexual  chaos  and  do  much  to  pre- 
vent and  lessen  white  slavery,  prostitution,  venereal 
disease  and  vice  in  general. 


INDUSTRIAL  DISEASES 

Despite  the  fact  that  modern  industry  is  the  in- 
evitable outgrowth  of  natural  or  evolutionary  laws 
governing  the  production  and  distribution  of  com- 
modities; and  despite  the  fact  that  it  has  reached 
a  high  point  of  efficiency  in  production  as  a  result 
of  improved  inventions,  organized  team-work  on  the 
part  of  workers,  and  the  harnessing  of  nature's 
forces  and  resources  by  means  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
exact  sciences  (chemistry  and  physics),  yet  we  can- 
not deny  that  this  modern  industrial  institution  has 
developed  a  chain  of  diseases  which  bruise,  disfigure, 
poison,  and  paralyze  thousands  of  workers  daily. 
Further,  since  the  machine  has  replaced  the  crude 
hand  tool,  the  factory  has  replaced  the  shop,  the 
city  the  village,  disease  is  no  longer  an  individual 
matter.  Instead,  it  is  now  a  timely  social  problem. 

The  whirling  dust,  poor  illumination,  inefficient 
ventilation,  unprotected  machines,  maddening  "hurry 
up"  systems  (piece  work),  and  "overtime"  tactics  in 
industry  send  thousands  of  exhausted,  dizzy  and 
sickened  humans  to  hospitals  or  to  untimely  graves. 
Further,  many  highly  developed  machines  of  to-day 
do  not  require  skilled  labor,  hence  the  employment 
of  cheaper  labor,  consisting  mostly  of  women  and 
children,  who  succumb  more  readily  to  industrial 
diseases  because  they  are  less  resistant. 

The  environment  of  many  workers  has  consisted 

largely  in  "a  flat"  (if  he  is  fortunate  in  securing 

160 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  161 

one),  the  factory,  mill  or  other  place  where  he  spends 
most  of  his  wakeful  hours ;  and  the  occasional 
"movie  house."  His  so-called  home  (which  desecrates 
the  term  "home")  may  be  dismissed  with  the  state- 
ment that  it  usually  is  a  loveless,  poorly  illuminated, 
ill-ventilated,  thoroughly  unattractive  and  unhy- 
gienic place.  Such  a  place  breeds  misunderstanding 
and  indigestion. 

In  spite  of  improvements,  the  shop  or  factory  is  as 
yet  the  place  where  the  workman  spends  the  greater 
part  of  his  physical  energy  and  thought;  where  the 
best  that  is  in  him  is  usually  stifled  or  crushed  instead 
of  being  brought  into  play  to  produce  really  useful 
things ;  where  the  work  necessary  to  energize  his  sys- 
tem would  be  pleasant  and  elevating,  is,  instead, 
usually  a  stuffy,  roaring  mill  laden  with  irritating 
dust,  or  a  factory  where  lead  may  cause  paralysis 
of  muscles  and  phosphorus  produce  necrosis  of  bone ; 
or  it  may  be  a  mine,  full  of  noxious  gases,  likely  to 
explode  any  moment  and  exterminate  his  life. 

Worse  still,  there  is  the  depressing  consciousness 
of  being  "a  cog  in  the  wheel."  This  conscious  and 
subconscious  feeling,  together  with  the  uncertainty 
of  employment,  and  the  monotonous,  eternal  grind, 
crush  the  spirit  of  the  worker,  causing  him  to  hate 
the  work,  the  employer  and  himself.  Is  there  any 
wonder  that  such  environment,  together  with  the 
feverish  intensity  involved,  ravages  the  minds  and 
nervous  systems  of  many,  causing  "breakdowns," 
premature  aging  and  industrial  diseases? 

"Before  the  advent  of  the  present  industrial  sys- 
tem," says  Maurice  Korshet,  M.D.  (lecturer,  writer 
and  prominent  surgeon),  in  "Diseases  of  Occupa- 


162  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tion"  appearing  in  the  New  York  Medical  Journal, 
June,  1911,  "the  worker  could  adjust  the  work  more 
or  less  to  his  individual  requirement.  Did  a  certain 
line  of  work  not  agree  with  his  health,  he  could  vary 
it  accordingly.  He  lived  and  worked  closer  to  na- 
ture, and  occupational  diseases  were  practically  un- 
known. To-day  the  worker  must  be  adjusted  to  the 
social  urge  of  the  machine.  He  must  keep  pace  with 
the  machine  or  quit.  The  workers,  irrespective  of 
age,  sex,  race,  color,  or  creed,  tend  the  same  prod- 
ucts, work  the  same  hours,  eat  the  same  food,  read 
the  same  papers,  and  see  the  same  amusements.  The 
everlasting  sameness  of  it  all  is  maddening  and  drives 
countless  thousands  into  asylums,  psychopathic 
wards,  and  suicides'  graves.  .  .  . 

"Investigations  have  shown  that  when  the  work 
capacity  of  the  body  is  taxed,  fatigue  products  or 
toxins  are  elaborated,  and  that  these  toxins,  circu- 
lating in  the  blood  and  acting  upon  the  brain  and 
muscles,  are  responsible  for  that  tired  feeling. 

"Unless  fatigue  is  checked  by  rest  or  abstinence 
from  hard,  intense  work  there  ensues  a  condition 
which  may  be  termed  chronic  fatigue.  The  worker 
is  continually  tired.  If  he  is  a  mental  worker  he 
finds  that  he  has  lost  interest  in  his  work;  he  feels 
flabby  and  dispirited  and  cannot  concentrate  his 
mind  upon  any  particular  subject.  If  a  manual 
worker  he  becomes  enervated,  his  muscles  lose  their 
customary  skill,  resulting  in  botched  work  or  acci- 
dents." 

CHEONIC   FATIGUE 

A  short  while  ago  the  press  announced  that  the 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  163 

British  War  Ministry  received  a  report,  analyzing 
the  psychology  of  workers  in  munition  plants.  The 
report  is  by  Dr.  H.  M.  Vernon,  an  eminent  British 
physician.  On  the  subject  of  Fatigue  he  said: 

"Fatigue  is  the  main  promoting  cause  of  acci- 
dents, commonly  attributed  to  carelessness,  but  more 
properly  the  result  of  weakened  power  to  coordinate 
movements." 

Chronic  fatigue,  as  can  readily  be  seen,  creates  a 
craving  for  stimulants  such  as  alcohol,  tobacco,  tea, 
coffee,  "classy"  dinners,  cheap  amusements  and  sex- 
ual debauchery.  It  is  even  responsible,  in  a  large 
measure,  for  weariness,  vagrancy  and  degeneracy. 

The  author  of  "Timely  Truths  on  Human  Health" 
had  occasion  to  treat  thousands  of  workers  during 
the  war  of  1914-1918  who  worked  "overtime."  Every 
patient  complained  of  various  symptoms  that  bore 
a  direct  relation  to  their  exertion  and  fatigue,  as  a 
result  of  "overtime."  Not  only  does  "overtime" 
cause  fatigue  and  lower  the  vitality  of  a  person,  thus 
making  them  more  susceptible  to  various  diseases, 
but  it  helps  develop  an  army  of  unemployed  workers, 
causing  restlessness,  misunderstanding  and  the  like. 
It  also  results  in  a  loss  of  that  productive  power 
which  should  be  utilized.  Idleness  is  an  abnormal 
manifestation.  A  healthy  mechanism  has  no  idle 
or  useless  parts. 

AGENCIES  DESTRUCTIVE  TO  HEALTH 

Among  the  numerous  agencies  that  have  a  destruc- 
tive influence  upon  the  body,  other  than  fatigue,  are : 

1.  Mechanical  dust,  as,  for  example,  "fluff"  in 
cotton  mills,  flour  in  flour  mills  and  bake  shops,  and 


164  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

small  particles  (or  powder)  of  stone,  coal,  iron  and 
steel  which  irritate  the  breathing  mechanism,  thus 
paving  the  way  for  groups  of  symptoms  we  term 
bronchitis,  laryngitis,  pneumonia  and  tuberculosis; 

2.  Chemical  dust,  as,  for  example,  lead,  copper 
and    phosphorus,    which    eventually    produce    such 
symptoms     as     spongy     gums,    colic,    nausea    and 
paralysis ; 

3.  Poisonous   gases,    such    as    carbon   monoxide, 
which  one  is  bound  to  come  in  contact  with  when 
working  in  certain  processes  of  the  manufacture  of 
soda;  in  brick  and  cement  works  and  in  the  building 
of  tunnels,  as  well  as  in  the  smelting  of  iron  in  the 
manufacture  of  illuminating  gas; 

4.  Carbon  dioxide,  from  working  in  sugar  refin- 
eries, paper  works,  starch  works,  and  lime  kilns ; 

5.  Ammonia,  the  pungent  vapor  one  comes  in  con- 
tact with  while  working  in  refrigerating  plants,  tan- 
neries, and  artificial  fertilizer  works,  causing  inflam- 
mation of  the  eyes  and  mucous  lining  of  the  breath- 
ing apparatus; 

6.  Various   acids   and   alkalies,   such  as   carbolic 
acid,  paraffin  and  nitroglycerine,  usually  have  a  cor- 
rosive effect  on  the  hands  and  arms  of  workers  when 
immersed  in  diluted  solutions  of  these  substances. 

INDUSTRIAL  SKIN   LESIONS 

Industrial  eczema  may  be  formed  by  various  indus- 
trial or  occupational  causes.  According  to  Dr.  Geo. 
Apfelbach,  in  "Medicine  and  Surgery,"  the  follow- 
ing causes  bring  about  eczema  from  the  respective 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  165 

substances  with  which  the  workers  come  in  contact: 

"Painters — Benzine,  turpentine,  strong  alkali 
soaps,  aniline,  chrome. 

"Printers — Benzine,  mostly  from  cleansing  rollers 
and  type  and  from  washing  with  benzine  after  work. 
Callouses  on  fingers  of  composers  and  machine  oper- 
ators may  be  due  to  turpentine  and  crude  oils. 

"Chauffeurs — Benzine. 

"Cartridge  Makers — Turpentine,  mercury  sub- 
limate. 

"Battery  Makers — Acids,  turpentine,  chrome,  and 
other  irritants. 

"Photo-Engravers — Bichromate  acids,  alkalies, 
pyrogallic  acid,  metol,  silver  nitrate. 

"Etchers — Acids,  chrome,  asphaltum. 

"Tanners — Chrome,  lye,  water,  anthrax. 

"Washwomen  and  Scrubwomen — Soap,  water, 
chlorates,  etc. 

"Cement  Workers — Mechanical  irritation  and 
weather. 

"Platers — Copper  solution,  acids,  cyanide  solu- 
tion. 

"Buffers  and  Polishers — Mechanical  irritation, 
rubber  goods. 

"Machinists — Lubricating  oils,  mechanical  irrita- 
tion. 

"Bakers — Sugar,  water  and  heat. 

"Bartenders — Water,  beer. 

"Solderers — Acids. 

"Cigarmakers — Wet  tobacco. 

"Cabinet  Makers  and  Finishers — Turpentine, 
pyridin. 


166  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

"Florists — Flowers,  especially  tube  roses. 

"Slaughter  House  Workers  and  Butchers — 1.  An- 
thrax. 2.  Tuberculosis  of  the  skin. 

"Wool  Sorters  and  Workers — Aniline,  anthrax, 
bichromate. 

"Physicians,  Nurses,  and  Health  Officers — Bichlo- 
ride, phenol  and  formalin. 

"X-Ray  Workers — Ultra-violet  rays. 

"Munition  Workers — Trinitrotoluene,  dimitroben- 
zol  and  mercury. 

"Where  the  eczema  is  due  to  mechanical  irritation, 
as  among  cement  workers,  plasterers,  buffers,  relief 
may  follow  the  use  of  gloves,  in  some  instances, 
greasing  the  hands,  or  in  some,  by  placing  guards 
on  the  machinery.  When  the  irritation  is  due  to 
acid  fumes,  hooding  tanks  should  be  used. 

"Of  the  chemicals  employed  in  industry  more  harm 
is  done  the  skin  by  benzine  than  by  any  other  agent. 
Workers  in  benzine  and  turpentine  should  keep  their 
hands  oiled  with  lanolin  and  petroleum,  or  with  equal 
parts  of  castor  oil  and  vaseline. 

"Workers  in  munition  factories,  especially  those 
who  handle  T.N.T.,  dimitrobenzol  and  fulminate  of 
mercury,  must  keep  their  hands  clean.  They  should 
wear  gloves." 

Under  the  heading  of  injuries  and  accidents  (while 
not  "diseases"  of  industry  in  the  ordinary  sense),  it 
may  be  stated,  briefly,  that  approximately  ten  thou- 
sand lives  are  lost  annually  on  our  railroads,  and 
about  35,000  wage-earners  die  annually  as  a  result 
of  accidents.  These  accidents  and  deaths  are  due, 
in  a  large  measure,  to  fatigue,  poor  illumination, 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  167 

whirling  dust,  lack  of  safety  appliances,  and  unpro- 
tected machines. 

WOMEN   AND   INDUSTRY 

It  has  been  estimated  that  there  were  several  mil- 
lion women  engaged  in  gainful  occupations  in  the 
United  States  before  the  war.  About  one-half  of 
this  number  were  married.  In  some  cases  the  woman 
has  become  the  chief  bread-winner,  owing  to  illness 
on  the  part  of  her  husband  or  because  her  cheaper 
labor  has  displaced  him.  Sometimes  poor  wages  and 
high  cost  of  living  compel  both  the  husband  and  the 
wife  to  go  into  the  factory  as  a  means  of  keeping 
the  "home"  together.  The  fact  that  several  million 
married  women  are  working  in  industry  or  in  stores 
and  the  like  means  that  there  were  several  million 
homes  practically  broken  up;  that  very  little  family 
life  is  possible;  and  that  the  children  (if  there  are 
any)  are  left  to  grow  up  "any  old  way."  Many  a 
working  girl,  seeing  her  chum  or  acquaintance  return 
to  the  machine  soon  after  marriage,  hesitates  about 
marriage,  with  the  result  that  she  is  liable  to  become 
discouraged  and  possibly  become  a  victim  of  sexual 
vice  and  its  trail  of  venereal  diseases. 

CHILD   LABOR 

Recent  statistics  show  substantial  improvements 
in  the  reduction  of  child  labor,  although  it  is  far 
from  what  it  should  be.  Only  ten  years  ago  it  was 
estimated  that  there  were  over  2,500,000  children 
from  the  age  of  six  to  fourteen  working  in  the  mines, 
mills  and  factories  of  the  United  States.  These  chil- 
dren not  only  acquire  the  same  habits,  vices  and  dis- 


168  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

eases  as  the  adults,  in  the  course  of  time,  but  they 
become  stunted  in  growth  and  age  prematurely.  A 
child's  place  is  in  the  school  and  playground.  The 
children  have  a  right  to  fresh  air,  sunshine,  joyous 
companionship  and  education  instead  of  being  forced 
into  mines,  mills,  or  factories. 

POSSIBLE  REMEDIES 

The  cure  for  industrial  diseases  does  not  lie  in 
the  physician's  office  or  on  the  shelves  at  the  drug 
store.  We  must  trace  them  to  their  cause.  The 
physician  who  is  really  interested  in  abolishing  indus- 
trial diseases  becomes  hygienist,  psychologist  and 
sociologist.  Since  disease  to-day  is  largely  a  social 
problem,  it  should,  therefore,  be  solved  socially. 
Otherwise  we  will  be  giving  merely  temporary  relief, 
while  the  causes  of  diseases  are  ignored. 

We  do  not  include,  in  such  program,  or  favor  in 
any  sense  a  number  of  present-day  "health  bills" 
that  are  pending  before  the  United  States  Congress 
and  various  state  assemblies,  such  as  the  creating 
of  a  "National  Department  of  Health" ;  "compulsory 
health  insurance";  "compulsory  examinations  in  the 
schools" ;  "compulsory  vaccinations,"  and  other  such 
violations  of  our  constitutional  and  fundamental 
human  rights.  (Read  chapter  "The  Doctor  and  the 
Public.") 

The  causes  of  industrial  diseases  immediately  sug- 
gest their  cure.  Fatigue,  for  example,  including  idle- 
ness, can  be  eliminated  by  employing  four,  five  or 
six  shifts.  From  four  to  six  hours'  real  work  is 
usually  sufficient,  from  a  physiological  standpoint. 
If  all  adults  who  are  capable  of  rendering  useful 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  169 

and  productive  service  would  do  so,  four  or  five 
hours'  service  daily  would  be  more  than  enough.  De- 
spite this  scientific  knowledge,  we  still  cling  to  the 
old  inefficient  system  of  working  eight,  ten  and  twelve 
hours  out  of  twenty-four,  leaving  no  genuine  oppor- 
tunity for  normal  relaxation,  proper  eating,  reading, 
studying,  thinking,  or  enjoying. 

Furthermore,  the  destructive  effects  of  such 
agencies  as  dusts  and  poisons  can  be  eliminated  by 
the  erection  of  only  clean,  sanitary  factories ;  dust 
can  be  removed  by  special  ventilators ;  frequent 
changes  of  air,  and  the  employment  of  special  masks 
and  respirators;  and  the  instruction  of  the  workers 
in  hygiene. 

Injuries  and  accidents  can  also  be  reduced  to  a 
minimum  by  the  introduction  of  protective  machin- 
ery, including  every  available  safety  appliance, 
proper  instruction,  and  the  employment  of  skilled 
labor. 

Women  should  not  work  at  injurious  occupations, 
and  should  work  fewer  hours.  They  should  not  work 
in  any  factory  during  pregnancy.  Child  labor 
should  be  absolutely  and  unconditionally  abolished. 
Then,  and  then  only,  will  work  become  exercise,  a 
pleasure  and  a  natural  right  as  it  should  be — and 
some  day  will  be — for  every  healthy  person. 


KNIFELESS  TREATMENT  OF  PILES 
(HEMORRHOIDS) 

Thousands  of  people  are  daily  being  operated  up- 
on (surgically)  for  piles.  We  regard  the  usual 
surgical  operation  for  piles  as  unscientific  and  un- 
necessary. Almost  all  cases  of  piles  can  be  cured 
without  the  knife.  The  knife-less  method  is  the  most 
natural,  wholesome,  reliable,  and  permanent.  It  not 
only  helps  remove  the  effect  (the  piles),  but  it  goes 
to  the  root  of  the  trouble — the  cause.  It  removes 
the  cause,  and  as  a  result  helps  to  remove  the  effects. 
At  the  same  time  the  one  who  treats  this  condition 
teaches  correct  methods  of  living  so  that  the  victim 
of  piles  may  prevent  their  return.  In  the  surgical 
method,  obviously,  only  the  effects  have  been  re- 
moved, the  cause  still  remains,  and  in  addition  there 
is  a  debilitated  condition  which  only  predisposes 
one  to  the  return  of  this  hemorrhoidal  condition. 

From  one  of  my  own  articles  entitled  "Knifeless 
Treatment  of  Piles"  in  the  New  York  Medical  Jour- 
nal (December,  1918),  I  quote:  "A  hemorrhoid  is 
a  mass  of  varicose  or  dilated  and  sacculated  veins 
at  the  anus  and  lower  rectum,  the  usual  situation 
being  almost  always  the  muco-cutaneous  surface 
which  joins  these  two  structures.  Hemorrhoids  are 
internal  or  external,  depending  upon  whether  they 
are  developed  within  the  sphincter  ani  or  outside 

this  muscle.     Piles  are  called  open  or  bleeding  when 

170 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  171 

they  give  rise  to  hemorrhage,  and  blind  when  they 
do  not  bleed. 

"The  external  pile  is  a  small,  circumscribed  tumor. 
Commonly  there  is  more  than  one  of  these.  They 
may  be  so  numerous  as  to  form  a  more  or  less  com- 
plete circle  around  the  anus.  The  color  varies  from 
dark  red  to  purple;  the  surface  is  smooth  or  lobu- 
lated,  and  the  consistency  may  be  soft,  hard  or 
elastic,  corresponding  to  the  degree  of  vascular  tur- 
gescence. 

CAUSES 

"The  predisposing  causes  are  sedentary  and  indo- 
lent habits,  luxurious  living,  especially  the  use  of 
highly  seasoned  foods,  wines,  and  spirits ;  tight  lac- 
ing; pregnancy;  constipated  bowels,  and  diseases  of 
the  liver.  Residence  in  moist,  warm  and  relaxing 
climates ;  soft,  warm  beds  and  cushions  and  over- 
excitement  of  the  sexual  organs  may  be  classified 
among  the  predisposing  causes.  The  exciting  causes 
include  anything  which  irritates  the  lower  bowel, 
such  as  straining  at  stool,  hard  riding,  and  the  use 
of  strong  purgatives,  especially  excessive  use  of 
aloes  and  calomel. 

SYMPTOMS 

"A  sensation  of  fullness,  heat,  and  perhaps  itch- 
ing, felt  about  the  anus,  are  generally  among  the 
first  symptoms.  The  swelling  increases  until  small 
tumors  form,  which  are  sore  and  painful.  These  may 
be  external  and  visible,  or  internal,  and  are  often  of 
a  bluish  color,  and  when  inflamed  are  very  sore  and 
painful  to  the  touch. 

"The  diagnosis  of  hemorrhoids  is  usually  easy.    It 


172  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

is  very  common  for  people,  however,  to  mistake  a 
variety  of  diseases,  including  simple  pruritis,  eczema, 
prolapsus  ani,  polypus  of  the  rectum,  condylomata, 
and  even  fistula  in  ano,  for  hemorrhoids.  The  prog- 
nosis is  usually  favorable,  particularly  if  the  treat- 
ment is  instituted  early. 

"There  are  various  methods  employed  in  the  treat- 
ment of  piles.  The  hygienic,  dietetic,  occupational 
and  other  environment  of  the  patient  should  always 
be  studied  and  corrected  as  may  be  found  necessary. 
The  patient  should,  as  a  rule,  avoid  coffee  and  tea, 
spices  and  highly  seasoned  foods;  and  the  habitual 
use  of  beer,  wines  and  spirits.  The  less  meat  eaten, 
the  better.  Sedentary  habits  and  much  standing,  on 
one  hand,  and  extreme  fatigue,  on  the  other,  are 
harmful,  as  is  also  the  use  of  cushions  and  feather- 
beds.  A  laxative  diet,  including  bran  bread  or  muf- 
fins, prunes,  apples  and  the  like,  may  be  used. 

"The  pile  itself  should  be  carefully  reduced  and 
returned  within  the  sphincter,  an  ointment  being  used 
in  the  manipulation,  and  this  should  be  subsequently 
applied  and  properly  retained  by  dressing.  In  cases 
in  which  the  inflammation  is  very  decided  nothing 
can  be  accomplished  until  cold  applications  of  water 
or  ice  are  applied  to  the  part  and  retained  there. 
Satisfactory  results  are  greatly  favored  by  the  pa- 
tient going  to  bed.  Gradually  increased  dilation  of 
the  rectum  will  sometimes  bring  about  the  desired 
results  and  will  be  helpful  in  almost  every  case.  .  .  ." 


ABUSES  OF  SURGERY 

Few  there  are  who  will  dispute  the  great  progress 
that  legitimate  surgery  has  brought  to  mankind — 
but  the  abuse  of  it  is  so  horrifying  that  it  overbal- 
ances the  good  it  has  done  and  is  still  doing.  While 
it  is  the  aim  of  the  writer  to  point  out  only  the 
abuses  and  avoidable  mistakes  in  surgery,  he  takes 
cognizance  of  the  fact  that  many  technical  and 
practical  achievements  of  constructive  surgery  have 
been  accomplished.  It  is  somewhat  difficult,  within 
the  limitations  of  a  popular  dissertation,  to  go  into 
details  on  the  vast  subject  of  surgery,  and  this  will 
therefore  have  to  be  concise. 

Almost  everybody  will  recall  some  case  where  he 
felt  that  a  mistake  was  made  on  the  operating  table, 
after  which  it  was  said  that  "shock"  killed  the  pa- 
tient, or  "the  operation  was  successful,  but  the 
patient  died."  The  writer  remembers  reading  of  a 
case  where  a  woman  patient,  after  consulting  a 
number  of  "leading"  surgeons  of  San  Francisco, 
was  finally  operated  on  for  "abdominal  tumor," 
which  proved  to  be — "a  mistake."  Though  the 
prominent  surgeon  of  the  largest  hospital  performed 
this  "successful"  operation,  the  "shock"  nearly  killed 
the  victim.  It  was  about  eleven  months  before  the 
patient  was  able  to  leave  the  house.  Soon  "a  re- 
lapse" was  followed  by  another  operation.  Still  an- 
other operation  was  resorted  to  in  order  to  give  the 

173 


174  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

sufferer  relief.  After  years  of  torture  the  poor 
victim  of  surgical  abuse,  or  surgical  mania,  finally 
died.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many  cases  that  occur 
daily  in  our  busy  twentieth  century. 

The  following  quotations  (selected  from  many 
similar  ones)  will  surely  be  instructive,  timely,  cor- 
roborative and  interesting  to  the  intelligent  reader, 
showing  how  surgical  abuses  are  committed  in  the 
name  of  "science"  and  the  "saving"  of  human  life. 

From  a  well-written  article,  "Nasal  Obstruction 
in  Children,"  by  Dr.  Otto  Glogan,  appearing  in 
American  Medicine  (April,  1909),  we  quote  in  part: 
"Every  period  of  medical  science  has  its  fascinating 
catch-words.  Those  of  the  present  are  appendicitis 
of  the  adult  and  adenoids  of  the  youth.  How  many 
healthy  appendices  and  how  many  strips  of  pha- 
ryngeal  mucous  lining  supposedly  adenoids,  may 
have  been  victims  of  bold  science!  .  .  ." 

From  an  address,  "Surgical  Outrages,"  by  Dr. 
J.  L.  Wiggins,  delivered  to  the  Ohio  Valley  Medical 
Association  at  French  Lick,  Indiana,  November, 
1908,  and  published  in  the  Lancet-Clinic,  November 
14,  1908,  we  quote :  "Things  which  were  permissible 
or  even  commendable  under  past  conditions  are  at 
present  high  crimes  or  misdemeanors.  With  all  the 
opportunities  now  available  in  morgues  and  clinics  to 
see  and  study  living  and  dead  pathology,  there  exists 
no  excuse  for  repetition  of  our  former  mistakes.  We 
know  that  it  takes  more  than  the  ability  to  cut  and 
sew  to  make  a  surgeon.  We  know  that  a  recent 
graduate,  except  in  rare  instances,  is  not  competent 
even  to  operate.  We  recognize  the  wide  distinction 
between  the  words  'operator'  and  'surgeon.'  We 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  175 

know  that  skill,  confidence  and  judgment  in  any 
vocation  come  from  constant  repetition.  We  know 
that  we,  as  individuals,  would  not  select  the  occa- 
sional operator  for  ourselves  or  our  families  in  any 
matter  of  serious  import.  We  are  capable  of  pro- 
tecting ourselves;  are  not  the  public  entitled  to  like 
protection?" 

From  an  article,  "Unnecessary  Amputations,"  by 
Dr.  W.  Louis  Hartman  (of  Syracuse,  New  York), 
published  in  the  International  Journal  of  Surgery, 
February,  1909,  we  quote: 

"One  can  just  as  well  amputate  some  hours  or  days  after 
injury  as  at  once,  and  this  without  menace  to  the  patient, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  save  many  members  which  are  un- 
necessarily sacrificed.  ...  I  do  not  know  of  any  problem  in 
surgery  where  good  judgment  and  conservatism  should  prevail 
more  than  on  this  question,  when  to  amputate  and  when  not  to. 
I  do  not  think  internes  in  hospitals  should  ever  be  allowed  to 
amputate  without  the  counsel  of  the  surgeon,  as  they  are  very 
often  too  eager  to  operate  and  their  experience  has  at  this 
time  been  insufficiently  ripened  to  have  the  good  judgment 
of  the  experienced  physician." 

From  "Medical  Chaos  and  Crime"  (a  book  that 
should  be  read  by  every  surgeon  in  America),  writ- 
ten by  Norman  Barnesby,  M.D.  (published  by 
Mitchell  Kennerley,  New  York),  I  quote  only  one 
case  (out  of  many)  with  some  of  the  author's  brief 
comments : 

"In  the  preceding  chapter  I  gave  a  number  of  shocking 
examples  of  bad  surgery  as  performed  by  surgeons  or  by 
careless,  inexpert  operators.  It  would  be  unfair  to  these 
blunderers,  however,  and  misleading  to  the  public,  were  I  to 
omit  the  mistakes  and  catastrophes  of  the  higher  men  in  the 
profession.  Here  it  is  hard  to  say  just  what  measure  of  blame 
to  apportion.  All  men  in  all  professions  make  mistakes  at 
times,  even  with  the  greatest  care  and  devotion  to  duty.  But 


176  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

some  great  surgeons,  notwithstanding  their  brilliant  achieve- 
ments, are  notoriously  careless  and  indifferent  to  the  lives  of 
their  patients.  The  following  cases  are  instances  of  such  care- 
lessness; otherwise  I  would  not  have  recorded  them. 

"I  was  once  invited  to  a  surgical  clinic  held  by  one  of  the 
most  noted  surgeons  in  New  York  City.  Expecting  to  see 
something  out  of  the  ordinary,  I  attended,  and  certainly  was 
not  disappointed. 

"A  woman  was  to  be  operated  on  for  some  kidney  trouble, 
and  the  surgeon,  after  a  lengthy  discussion  of  the  case  before  a 
number  of  physicians,  stated  that  he  would  not  operate  if 
he  were  not  sure  that  the  diagnosis  he  had  made  was  correct. 

"The  operation  was  performed,  but  the  kidney  proved  to 
be  absolutely  normal.  This  surprised  the  surgeon,  and  turning 
to  the  house  surgeon  he  inquired  for  the  history  chart.  After 
looking  it  over  he  exclaimed:  'Who  prepared  this  patient?  I 
thought  you  told  me  it  was  the  left  kidney  P  There  was  an 
awkward  silence  for  a  few  seconds,  whereupon  the  humiliated 
surgeon,  recovering  his  self-possession,  put  back  the  left  kidney 
and  sewed  the  woman  up.  Then  he  had  her  right  side  sterilized, 
and  operated  upon  the  other  kidney.  .  .  ." 


ABUSE   OF   ANESTHESIA 

Patients  have  been  abused,  operations  encouraged 
and  fatalities  increased  because  of  the  careless  ad- 
ministration of  anesthetics  (chloroform,  ether,  and 
the  like)  by  the  untrained  anesthetist.  Anesthesia 
has  made  some  surgeons  believe  that  the  knife  was 
of  supreme  importance  in  surgery,  and  that  almost 
all  disease  could  be  "cut  away"  or  "cut  out."  No 
wonder  we  sometimes  hear  the  phrases  "artistically 
murdered"  and  done  "with  good  intentions." 

From  an  article,  "The  Anesthesia  Peril  in  Ameri- 
can Hospitals,"  by  John  B.  Roberts,  M.D.,  appear- 
ing in  the  Therapeutic  Gazette,  February,  1908,  we 
quote,  in  part : 

"During  a  recent  visit  in  a  metropolitan  medical  center  I 
was  shocked  at  the  reckless  manner  in  which  general  anesthetics 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  177 

were  given.  Observations  during  my  surgical  life  in  some  ten 
or  more  hospitals  in  which  I  have  operated  has  convinced  me 
that  a  protest  against  the  methods  often  pursued  in  American 
hospitals  is  urgently  needed. 

"...  I  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  no  inconsiderable 
number  of  deaths  attributed  to  post-operative  shock  are  in- 
stances of  anesthetic  death,  due  to  a  pre-occupied  operator 
and  an  ignorant  or  careless  anesthetist.  I  have  sat  on  clinic 
benches  and  stood  near  operating  tables  more  than  once  with 
thankfulness  in  my  heart  that  the  safety  of  no  friend  of  mine 
was  then  in  the  hands  of  operators  and  anesthetists  so  indif- 
ferent, or  so  oblivious,  to  the  risk  of  ether  or  chloroform." 

There  have  been  times  in  which  it  was  more  diffi- 
cult for  the  patient  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  the 
chloroform  or  ether  than  from  the  operation  itself. 
One  may  have  the  vitality  to  withstand  "the  cut- 
ting," but  may  succumb  to  the  influence  of  the  an- 
esthetic. Sometimes  a  careless  surgeon  forgets  or 
neglects  to  make  a  thorough  examination  in  order  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  the  patient  can  withstand 
a  particular  anesthetic.  Millions  of  people  are  thus 
mutilated  or  "chopped  up"  as  though  they  were 
steaks,  on  account  of  ignorance  or  hasty  action  on 
the  part  of  some  surgeons.  In  fact,  there  are  too 
many  surgical  operations  to-day.  We  resort  to 
the  knife  too  hastily.  Many  times  we  find  that  the 
surgeon  has  been  wrong  in  his  diagnosis.  Many 
cases  diagnosed  as  appendicitis  are  found  not  to  have 
been  appendicitis  in  the  first  place,  and  could  have 
been  treated  successfully  without  an  operation.  The 
same  holds  true  with  much  surgical  diagnosis  and 
operative  procedure  generally. 

Most  surgeons  are  not  dishonest,  knife-maniacs 
or  willful  homicides.  Many  of  them,  however,  are 
strongly  biased  in  favor  of  the  knife,  and  seem  to 


178  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

ignore  natural  laws,  which  alone  are  the  true  healer 
in  all  disease.  The  beneficent  and  inherent  natural 
healing  power  of  man  never  errs,  neglects  nothing, 
ever  acts  intelligently  and  is  curative  in  its  efforts. 
Nature  operates  in  a  certain  way:  find  that  way, 
live  it,  and  you  have  health. 

ASEXING  WOMEN 

Surgical  mutilation  of  women  is  becoming  a  com- 
mon daily  practice.  One  of  the  frequent,  neverthe- 
less outrageous,  mutilations  is  the  cutting  out  of  the 
ovaries.  The  indiscriminate  cutting  out  of  the  female 
sexual  organs  ought  to  be  prohibited  by  law — and 
some  day  will  be. 

Statistics  of  unsexed  women  show  that  78  per  cent 
suffered  notable  loss  of  memory ;  60  per  cent  flashes 
of  heat  and  vertigo;  50  per  cent  became  more  irri- 
table ;  42  per  cent  suffered  mental  depression ;  10  per 
cent  verged  upon  melancholia;  75  per  cent  a  diminu- 
tion of  sexual  desire;  in  some  instances  the  opposite 
was  true;  12  per  cent  noted  a  change  in  their  voice; 
15  per  cent  suffered  irregular  attacks  of  skin  dis- 
ease ;  25  per  cent  had  severe  headaches ;  5  per  cent 
suffered  from  insomnia;  and  many  finally  went  in- 
sane. The  loss  of  such  a  vital  organ  cannot  be  re- 
placed, and  although  the  poor  victim  of  the  knife 
may  for  some  time  imagine  or  be  made  to  believe  that 
nature  has  been  aided  by  the  destructive  operation, 
she  soon  learns  her  mistake  and  wishes  she  had 
learned  the  truth  earlier. 

Not  so  very  long  ago  organ  substitution  or  organ- 
transplanting  was  in  vogue.  It  was  an  "interesting" 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  179 

idea.  It  was  a  "discovery."  (According  to  recent 
announcements  in  the  press,  interstitial  glands  from 
monkeys  are  to  make  their  "debut"  in  the  human 
system.)  The  idea  was  to  transfer  an  organ  from 
one  animal  to  another  and  "attach  it"  so  that  it 
would  work  as  heretofore.  If  you  doubt  the  scien- 
tific importance  of  this  surgical  fad,  it  is  only  an- 
other evidence  that  you  will  live  longer. 

The  removal  of  a  weak  or  even  diseased  vital  organ 
does  not  constitute  a  cure.  The  extirpation  of  a 
vital  organ  deprives  the  individual  of  an  organ  re- 
quired in  the  natural  process  of  living.  The  removal 
of  an  organ  creates  a  disturbance  in  the  whole  or- 
ganism, and  it  would  seem  logical  that  only  a  posi- 
tive guarantee  of  future  health  or  the  saving  of  life 
might  justify  such  an  act. 

Some  surgeons  claim  that  some  organs  in  our 
body  are  of  no  use  anyhow,  and  might  just  as  well 
be  "cut  out"  since  "it  may  bother  you  later."  In 
other  words,  they  desire  to  improve  upon  nature's 
"poor  job."  Because  we  do  not  know  the  purpose 
and  functions  of  various  organs  in  the  body,  does 
it  mean  that  you  must  suffer  by  experiment?  Does 
the  inability  to  obtain  a  cure  by  means  of  routine 
methods  or  because  certain  patients  have  not  the 
patience  to  live  naturally  in  order  to  regain  health, 
grant  the  surgeon  right  to  deprive  you  of  a  vital 
organ? 

When  we  bear  in  mind  that  not  over  three  or  four 
per  cent  of  all  the  so-called  surgical  cases  really 
require  operations,  we  realize  the  trend  of  surgical 
"success"  and  the  lack  of  knowledge  of  natural  laws 


180  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

and  true  science  and  art  of  healing  even  in  this  day. 

TONSILS   AND  ADENOIDS 

One  of  the  abused  surgical  operations  to-day  is 
the  "clipping  off"  of  the  tonsils  and  removal  of  the 
adenoids.  School  children  are  the  usual  victims  in 
these  cases.  They  are  sometimes  told  that  "tonsils 
are  a  nuisance  anyhow,"  and  that  they  better  "come 
out."  No  one  will  dispute  the  fact  that  swollen, 
irritated  glands  in  the  throat  are  a  nuisance  or  very 
bothersome,  but  this  inflamed  organ  is  usually  only 
a  local  symptom  of  general  or  systemic  auto-intoxi- 
cation. The  accumulated  waste  in  the  bodies,  which 
manifests  itself  in  the  form  of  swollen  tonsils  or 
adenoids  (especially  when  irritated  and  hastened  by 
mouth  breathing),  is  due,  primarily,  to  our  cus- 
tomary abnormal  methods  of  eating  and  living. 
Mouth-breathing,  instead  of  breathing  through  the 
nostrils,  hastens  the  irritation  and  "swelling"  of 
tonsils  and  adenoids.  Other  factors,  such  as  vac- 
cines and  serums,  soon  after  inoculation,  have  a 
tendency  to  irritate  and  enlarge  the  tonsils  and 
adenoids. 

The  tonsils  belong  to  the  glandular  system  and 
have,  no  doubt,  a  definite  function  in  the  assisting 
of  nature  to  eliminate  part  of  the  continuously  ac- 
cumulating waste  in  our  system.  It  is  probable  that 
they  act  as  protective  filters  in  the  throat  by  not 
permitting  filth  agencies  to  enter  the  windpipe,  bron- 
chial tubes  and  lungs.  The  removal  of  the  tonsils 
does  not  necessarily  mean  that  they  will  not  grow 
again,  any  more  than  the  removal  of  piles  (hemor- 
rhoids) means  you  are  cured  of  them. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  181 

The  adenoid  glands  (a  sort  of  "second  cousin"  to 
the  tonsils)  are  important  tissues  located  in  the 
nasal  passage,  and  are  subject  to  the  same  abusive 
treatment  on  the  part  of  their  owners  as  the  tonsils, 
hence  at  times  also  become  irritated  and  swollen. 
Irritation  in  them  is  a  common  affliction  of  children 
who  breathe  through  the  mouth.  These  gland-like 
tissues  are  there  not  for  fun,  nor  to  be  taken  out 
every  other  season;  they  have  some  function  to  per- 
form. If  extirpating  them  would  give  immediate 
local  relief  it  would  be  no  reason  why  they  should 
be  removed.  Other  disorders  of  a  more  serious 
nature  follow,  many  times,  as  a  result.  The  cutting 
out  of  adenoids  or  tonsils  is  not  correcting  or  re- 
moving the  cause  of  enlarged  tonsils  or  adenoids 
any  more  than  the  cutting  out  of  piles  from  the 
rectum  will  remove  the  cause  of  piles.  The  surgical 
operation  merely  removes  the  effects  produced  by 
causes  which  usually  remain  after  the  effects  have 
been  removed.  And  unless  the  causes  of  enlarged 
tonsils  and  adenoids  are  treated  and  removed,  the 
effects  will  always  be  the  same.  Unusual  abnormal- 
ities of  the  tonsils  or  adenoids  producing  feeble- 
mindedness or  otherwise  deranging  the  normal  func- 
tions of  the  system  may  justify  operating,  if  the 
usual  simple  methods  of  treatment  and  correct  living 
have  been  of  no  avail.  Proper  nasal  breathing, 
wholesome  food,  and  a  simple  hygienic  life  in  general 
will  maintain  such  vitality  and  clean  blood  stream 
that  swollen  and  inflamed  glands  in  the  nasal  pas- 
sages will  be  impossible.  But  the  violation  of  na- 
ture's laws  will  certainly  bring  about  auto-intoxica- 
tion, with  its  inevitable  low  vitality  or  lack  of  normal 


182  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

resistance  power,  manifesting  itself  in  various  local 
or  constitutional  symptoms.  And  remember  this : 
What  once  has  been  cut  off  (or  out)  can  never  be 
restored. 

APPENDICITIS 

During  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  a  new  surgi- 
cal fad  has  come  into  being.  You  may  almost  guess 
what  it  is — Appendicitis.  Tons  of  literature  have 
been  written  on  the  subject;  statisticians  have  been 
kept  busy,  hospitals  erected,  "new  diseases"  found, 
textbooks  written,  colleges  born,  operations  per- 
formed, and  premature  graves  dug — and  filled — since 
the  year  1886,  when  it  was  definitely  determined  by 
certain  medical  "authorities"  that  the  appendix  was 
the  starting  point  of  many  inflammatory  conditions 
found  in  the  right  lower  quadrant  of  the  abdomen. 
The  "starting  point"  lies  in  gluttony,  hurried  living 
and  sexual  debauchery  instead. 

About  thirty  years  ago  when  appendicitis  was  "as 
poor  as  a  church  mouse"  as  far  as  popularity  or 
fame  is  concerned,  it  used  to  be  known  as  typhlitis 
or  perityphlitis.  Since  then  it  has  been  renamed 
appendicitis,  which  merely  means  that  the  appendix 
has  been  inflamed,  irritated,  or  disturbed.  Instead 
of  making  an  immediate  effort  to  assist  nature  by 
eliminating  the  causes  of  this  usually  simple  abnor- 
mality, almost  everybody  in  the  family  and  neigh- 
borhood begins  fretting,  shivering  and  remarking: 
"Oh !  he  has  appendicitis !"  as  if  to  say :  "Well,  poor 
fellow,  he  is  a  goner."  Just  about  that  time  the 
surgeon  is  called  in  and  says :  "I'll  take  it  out,"  and 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  183 

sometimes  he  takes  the  owner  of  the  appendix  out 
also — never  to  return  again.  And  all  this  is  action 
incited  by  "good  intentions." 

Especially  were  wealthy  people  led  to  the  operat- 
ing table  in  the  early  days,  when  it  was  almost  "an 
honor"  to  have  appendicitis;  in  the  days  (some  of 
you  remember)  when  the  press  columns  were  filled 
with  startling  headlines  regarding  Mr.  I.  M.  Weak- 
minded,  who  had  been  operated  on  for  appendicitis, 
and  that  Prof.  Large  Fee  said  to  a  reporter  of  the 
Morning  Eye-Opener  and  Alarming  News  that  if 
Mr.  I.  M.  Weakminded  continues  to  breathe  'til  8 
P.  M.  he  will  have  a  very  good  chance  to  live !  And 
some  members  of  the  family  sighed  and  cried  for  his 
recovery  from  such  a  newly  discovered,  terrible  "dis- 
ease." 

But  recently  you  do  not  hear  much  noise  about 
appendicitis.  Almost  anybody  may  have  it  now. 
Even  a  poor  working  man  can  afford  an  operation 
on  the  appendix — once  in  a  lifetime.  And  what  a 
pity  that  there  is  only  one  appendix!  But  do  not 
let  that  worry  you.  It  can  be  made  up  by  taking 
out  your  ovaries,  tonsils,  adenoids,  goiter,  and  other 
organs.  And  why  can  you  not  have  a  cancer,  "dis- 
placement" or  "adhesion"  somewhere,  from  time  to 
time?  It  has  been  said  by  certain  "authorities"  that 
you  do  not  need  some  of  these  organs  anyhow.  They 
are  in  your  way !  Some  claim  that  the  appendix 
should  be  taken  out  of  a  child  at  the  age  of  seven, 
even  when  he  is  in  perfect  health.  Possibly  it  may 
be  the  style  to  "take  out  something"  (not  from  the 
bank)  every  year  or  two  because  of  the  way  you 


184  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

treat,  or  mistreat,  your  stomachs,  intestines  and 
other  organs.  In  such  case,  you  really  do  not  de- 
serve to  have  them. 

Some  people  still  believe  that  appendicitis  is  due 
mainly  to  the  lodgment  of  seeds,  buttons,  or  other 
foreign  bodies  in  the  appendix  and  that  operating 
is  the  only  thing  to  consider.  The  fact  is  that  seeds 
and  other  foreign  bodies  are  found  in  less  than  one 
per  cent  of  all  cases  operated  on. 

Merely  because  we  do  not  know  the  exact  function 
of  this  notorious  scrap  of  intestine,  called  the  ap- 
pendix vermiformis  in  man,  is  no  reason  why  it  must 
be  removed  from  the  human  organism.  You  will  find 
that  Mr.  Appendix  is  a  "good  fellow"  after  all.  I 
am  sure  that  the  appendix  will  never  bother  you  if 
you  do  not  bother  it.  And  the  best  way  not  to  bother 
it  is  to  eat  for  nourishment,  not  merely  to  tickle  the 
palate. 

From  The  Naturopath,  edited  by  Dr.  Benedict 
Lust,  I  have  before  me  a  press  report  in  which  Dr. 
Jno.  B.  Deaver,  one  of  America's  most  famous  sur- 
geons, declared  a  short  while  ago  before  the  North- 
western Medical  Society,  the  following: 

"A  medical  student  fills  a  graveyard  before  he  becomes  a 
surgeon,  and  I  have  filled  several  and  do  not  call  myself  a 
surgeon  yet.  But  I  have  found  by  long  experience  that  a 
great  many  cases  of  appendicitis  and  gall  stones  do  not  need 
the  knife  at  all,  and  many  cases  of  appendicitis  need  little  or  no 
drugs,  at  the  outset.  In  cases  where  I  do  operate  I  find 
the  case  is  only  begun  after  the  operation,  and  I  spend  nights 
in  worry  after  many  operations. 

"Out  of  over  three  hundred  cases  of  appendicitis  at  the 
German  Hospital,  during  the  last  few  months  there  have  been 
only  six  deaths.  This  is  due  not  so  much  to  skillful  operating 
as  to  the  care  in  avoiding  the  use  of  the  knife. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  185 

"Operating  for  ordinary  and  exophthalmic  goiter  has  become 
a  common — too  common — occurrence.  Surgery  takes  it  for 
granted  that  the  thyroid  gland  is  a  useless  organ,  hence,  re- 
moves it,  when  it  shows  any  signs  of  disturbance,  irrespective 
of  its  cause  and  irrespective  of  the  harmful  after  effects." 

On  the  subject  of  Goiter,  J.  H.  Tilden,  M.D.,  in 
his  Philosophy  of  Health,  says: 

"For  several  years  past  I  have  endeavored  to  teach  that 
auto-toxemia  is  the  universal  cause  of  all  diseases,  and  there 
can  be  no  good  reason  why  goiter  should  be  an  exception  to 
this  rule.  .  .  .  When  nerve  energy  is  weakened,  organic  func- 
tioning is  lowered.  As  a  consequence,  secretions  are  lowered, 
or  rendered  less  potent  in  their  influence  on  nutrition  and 
excretions  are  retained,  causing  toxemia. 

"The  reproductive  secretions  are  not  only  necessary  for  the 
preservation  of  the  race,  but  they  give  to  man  his  physical 
and  mental  potency.  The  ovarian  or  reproductive  secretion  of 
women  not  only  enables  them  to  be  mothers,  but  gives  them  in- 
dividuality and  intelligence.  The  thyroid  and  mammary 
glands  are  auxiliary  to  the  reproductive  organs,  and  anything 
that  influences,  for  health  or  disease,  the  reproductive  organs 
influences  the  auxiliary  organs.  Just  why  in  one  woman  a 
perversion  of  the  reproductive  function  will  focus  on  the 
thyroid  gland  causing  goiter;  in  another,  on  the  ovaries,  causing 
ovaritis  and  profuse  menstruation  and  leucorrhea;  and  in  still 
another,  on  the  mammary  glands,  causing  swelling  and  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  entire  breasts,  is  hard  to  tell.  .  .  ." 

Almost  all  surgical  operations  for  disease  could 
be  avoided  if  proper  treatment  were  given  in  time. 
Why  not  prevent  surgical  experiments  by  taking 
care  of  health?  When  the  surgeon  removes  these 
so-called  diseases  he  removes  a  symptom  only.  He 
leaves  the  real  causes  uncorrected.  Unnecessary  sur- 
gical operations  will  continue  until  the  people  them- 
selves understand  this  timely  and  vital  issue  and  take 
more  interest  in  health  problems  in  general. 


HOSPITAL  ABUSES 

ARCHITECTURE 

From  their  architecture  some  leading  hospitals 
look  more  like  rows  of  factories,  jails,  or  ware- 
houses than  temporary  homes  for  the  sick  and  dis- 
abled. They  have,  somehow,  the  massive,  solemn, 
air-tight  and  dull  appearance  of  a  fort  or  cotton 
mill.  But  it  is  needless  to  discuss  the  "anatomy" 
of  hospitals.  What  interests  the  writer  most,  and 
what  interests  the  people  most,  or  should  interest 
them,  is  what  goes  on  inside  of  the  hospital. 

GROWTH 

The  hospital  problem  has  become  quite  serious  the 
world  over.  In  the  United  States  it  assumes  un- 
usual proportions.  We  learn  from  statistics  com- 
piled by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education 
that  in  1873  there  were  in  the  United  States  only 
149  hospitals,  with  a  total  of  35,453  beds.  Our 
modern  civilization  has  increased  the  number  of  hos- 
pitals and  beds  quite  a  bit  since  then.  We  have  now 
in  the  United  States  about  8,000  hospitals,  having 
over  600,000  beds.  About  five  hundred  thousand  of 
these  beds  are  usually  occupied.  Just  one-half  a  mil- 
lion human  souls  (not  including  soldiers  who  have  re- 
cently been  wounded  and  returned)  are  disabled  and 
confined  to  beds  and  hospitals.  Think  of  the  agony 

of  the  patients;  the  families,  dependents,  and  rela- 

186 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  187 

tives  of  the  patients ;  their  loss  of  productive  power ; 
their  loss  to  the  State  and  to  all  concerned  except 
the  hospitals,  nurses,  doctors,  and  undertakers. 
Why  should  one-half  a  million  souls  in  normal  times 
be  confined  to  hospitals?  And  this  does  not  include 
many  sanitariums,  health  resorts  and  other  places 
where  afflicted,  suffering  humanity  is  being  treated — 
and  also  mistreated — every  day  in  the  year.  It 
would  not  be  surprising  to  learn  that  over  a  million 
people  are  confined  to  institutions  supposed  to  take 
care  of  the  sick,  disabled,  incurable  and  the  like. 
And  all  this  in  the  most  prosperous  and  Christian 
country  in  the  world.  Is  it  not  a  reflection  on  our  so- 
called  civilization  instead  of  a  credit  to  it?  Why 
should  it  be  so?  What  is  wrong? 

FINANCIAL  INVESTMENT 

It  is  interesting  to  learn  that  over  one  billion  five 
hundred  million  dollars  are  invested  in  hospital  prop- 
erty, and  that  does  not  include  the  value  of  the  land. 
The  upkeep  of  these  institutions  is  more  than  two 
hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars  annually.  Would 
it  not  be  preferable,  more  human,  and  scientific,  to 
spend  this  vast  sum  of  money  for  education?  Let 
us  suggest  giving  the  children  of  the  South  a  chance 
to  go  to  a  public  school,  instead  of  working  in  the 
cotton  mills,  where  their  tender  bones,  muscles,  brain 
and  blood  are  converted  into  dollars.  Would  it  not 
be  a  good  idea  to  send  every  young  gifted  person 
who  so  desires  and  has  not  the  means  for  this, 
through  high  school  and  college?  Would  it  not  be 
far  better  to  utilize  most  of  this  money  for  the  build- 
ing of  good  homes  and  roads  in  order  to  keep  people 


188  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

at  work,  and  in  that  way  reduce  to  a  minimum  the 
army  of  unemployed? 

ABUSING  PATIENTS 

The  writer's  aim  is  not  to  decry  or  ridicule  the 
work  of  hospitals — far  from  such;  but  every  one 
recognizes  that  constructive,  wholesome,  and  timely 
criticism  which  will  disclose  defective  conditions  is 
probably  productive  of  more  efficient  service  in  the 
hospitals  for  those  who  are  there.  People  have  a 
right  to  the  best  that  science  has  brought  forth,  and 
they  are  entitled  to  every  consideration  and  courtesy 
as  patients.  The  patient  should  be  treated  like  a 
human  being  and  not  like  a  dog,  as  is  often  the  case. 
We  are  merely  voicing  the  sentiment  of  thousands 
of  human  victims  whose  weak  voices  go  unheard. 
Ask,  let  us  say,  five  friends  or  acquaintances  who 
have  been  at  the  leading  hospitals  in  the  United 
States  for  any  length  of  time  and  you  will  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  how  dissatisfied  the  majority  are; 
how  some  will  give  as  a  reason  for  their  present  pain 
and  disability  the  lack  of  proper  food  or  attention 
while  at  the  hospital.  Those  who  unfortunately  had 
to  go  to  "free"  wards  will  tell  you  all  kinds  of  woes. 
I  have  heard  them  curse  the  ground  upon  which  the 
hospital  stands  for  the  abusive  treatment,  mistreat- 
ment, or  lack  of  treatment  during  their  stay  at  the 
hospital. 

EAR   RECORDS 

You  will  hear  remarks  like  this : 

"The  first  two  days  we  had  a  good  nurse;   she 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  189 

seemed  to  be  prompt  and  kind;  then  she  apparently 
left,  and  it  was  worse  than  h ." 

"Everybody  in  our  ward  was  given  the  same  food. 
I  did  not  eat  it  and  the  nurses  got  angry." 

"I  told  the  nurse  and  my  doctor  that  I  could  not 
eat  meat,  especially  in  the  morning,  yet  bacon  was 
served." 

"I  rang  the  bell  many  times,  and  judging  from 
the  'hasty'  response,  I  felt  sure  every  official,  doctor, 
and  nurse  in  the  hospital  was  dead." 

"I  asked  for  water  and  was  told  I  should  learn 
to  behave." 

"I  suffered  agony  almost  a  whole  day,  but  I  was 
told  I  must  continue  to  wait  until  the  doctor  ar- 
rived." 

"I  asked  to  be  moved  from  the  groaning  and  cry- 
ing patient  next  to  me,  so  that  I  could  get  a  little 
sleep,  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  me." 

"The  orderly  seldom  paid  any  attention  to  me  ex- 
cept when  he  received  his  tip." 

"The  nurse  asked  me  to  pray;  and  when  I  asked 
her  whether  this  was  a  church  or  a  hospital,  she  felt 
peeved  about  it." 

"I  asked  if  something  could  be  done  to  relieve  my 
pain  without  the  injection  of  so  many  hypodermics, 
and  was  told  to  keep  quiet  and  not  try  to  be  doctor 
and  patient  at  the  same  time." 

These  and  many  other  similar  statements  will  ring 
in  your  ears  when  you  stop  to  think  of  the  remarks 
you  have  heard  from  all  kinds  of  patients  that  have 
been  at  hospitals.  The  writer  has  had  members  of 
his  own  family  at  various  hospitals ;  has  had  his  own 


190  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

patients  at  hospitals;  has  spoken  to  many  patients 
that  have  been  at  hospitals,  and  to  relatives  and 
friends  of  patients  who  were  at  hospitals,  and  what 
he  has  heard  would  fill  a  volume.  Every  other  phy- 
sician who  has  had  any  amount  of  practice  will  tell 
you  the  same  thing;  so  will  a  nurse  who  has  served 
at  the  hospitals. 

I  have  seen  patients  ring  the  bell  over  and  over 
again  with  no  response.  I  have  heard  patients  say 
that  they  were  forced  to  have  bowel  movements  and 
void  urine  in  bed,  and  then  remain  in  terrible  pain 
and  in  uncomfortable  positions,  because  the  bell, 
supposed  to  be  there  for  help,  was  not  answered.  I 
have  heard  patients  say  they  could  hear  the  nurses 
and  internes  sing,  dance,  and  joke  in  the  corridor 
while  they  were  deathly  sick  and  waiting  for  a  glass 
of  water  or  a  piece  of  cracked  ice.  Such  is  the  con- 
ception of  the  word  "care"  in  many  of  our  "modern" 
hospitals  in  the  twentieth  century. 

THE  BILL 

Think  of  a  patient,  who  is  suffering,  possibly  dy- 
ing, being  told  that  oranges  or  some  similar  article 
of  diet  is  "extra,"  not  included  in  the  "regular" 
diet.  What  constitutes  "regular"  and  "irregular" 
diet  is  quite  a  puzzle  in  many  hospitals.  The  same 
seems  the  case  with  supplies.  You  are  first  told  that 
it  will  cost  you  only  $25  a  room.  When  you  glance 
at  your  bill  you  find  that  your  appetite  was  more 
hindrance  than  help  at  the  hospital — you  should  have 
left  it  home  or  somewhere — you  had  no  business  to 
have  it.  You  may  also  discover  that  bandages  are 
"extra,"  cotton  "extra,"  plaster  "extra,"  medicines 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  191 

"extra,"  consultations  "extra,"  and  incidentals  "ex- 
tra." The  only  thing  that  was  not  "extra,"  or  they 
forgot  to  put  on  the  bill,  was  the  noise  of  the  patient 
next  to  you,  the  grumbling  and  the  odor;  and  even 
for  those  you  really  paid.  Think  of  the  patient 
being  told,  "We'll  have  to  order  this  for  you." 
Many  a  time  the  doctor  will  prescribe  the  most  sim- 
ple medicine,  and  it  will  be  "just  out  of  stock." 
Think  of  a  nurse  hating  the  work  of  giving  an  enema, 
or  bath,  or  spraying  the  nose  for  a  patient  and  still 
retaining  a  position  on  the  hospital  staff. 

EXPLOITING  THE  NURSE 

The  writer  has  never  seen  a  hospital  yet  that  had 
sufficient  nurses  or  help  generally.  The  night  ser- 
vice is  usually  insufficient.  The  nurses  cannot  be 
blamed.  The  truth  is  that  the  nurses  are  usually 
underfed,  underpaid,  overworked,  and  mistreated. 
They  often  get  the  blame  for  the  doctor's  or  super- 
intendent's carelessness.  They  should  work  fewer 
hours  and  get  much  more  pay — even  while  learning. 
In  fact,  the  course  of  training — three  years — is  en- 
tirely too  long.  Six  months  to  one  year  should  be 
sufficient  time  for  becoming  an  expert  nurse  if  she 
loves  the  work  and  is  intelligent.  And  if  she  does  not 
love  the  work  and  possesses  little  intelligence,  then 
she  ought  not  to  begin  the  study.  A  mere  diploma 
means  very  little  as  an  indicator  of  what's  in  a  per- 
son's cranium.  Graduation  should  not  depend  so 
much  on  years  of  training  as  on  how  capable  the 
student  nurse  now  is ;  whether  she  knows  her  business 
or  has  common  sense  besides  her  professional  or 
technical  training.  The  nurse  should  graduate  as 


192  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

soon  as  she  proves  efficient  and  not  merely  when  she 
"passes"  her  "exams."  Nurses  should  be  given  in- 
dividual training  as  much  as  possible  in  conjunction 
with  the  general  lecture  courses.  The  individuality 
in  the  nurse  should  not  be  crushed,  but  should  be 
permitted  to  grow  and  to  develop.  The  nurses  are, 
as  a  rule,  an  exploited  lot.  It  used  to  be  customary 
in  some  hospitals  (and  perhaps  to-day)  to  send  out 
a  nurse  while  in  training  to  treat  a  private  patient 
at  his  home.  The  money  received  for  such  services 
went  to  the  owners  of  the  hospital.  The  nurse  would 
probably  get  a  "five  spot"  for  her  "excellent  train- 
ing," and  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  hours'  work  be- 
sides. To  have  nurses  in  hospitals  who  can  smile  at 
you  (as  you  expect  of  them),  and  do  work  efficiently 
and  cheerfully,  see  to  it  that  they  are  well  paid  -while 
training,  for  it  is  hard  work  at  best.  See  that  they 
do  not  work  more  than  eight  hours  in  twenty-four; 
that  they  get  plenty  of  good  food; — the  kind  they 
themselves  like,  not  the  kind  that  is  sometimes  im- 
posed upon  them. 

What  was  said  of  the  nurses  applies  largely  to  the 
young  internes.  They  are  also  exploited  in  the  name 
of  "training"  or  "practice"  but  not  so  badly  as  the 
nurse.  The  sad  part  about  the  young,  well  meaning 
interne  is  that  he  "knows  more  than  all  the  doctors 
in  town."  He  still  worships  his  textbook ;  the  pretty 
test  tubes;  beautiful  microscopes;  marble  walls  and 
the  like.  There  is  hope  for  him — he  is  still  young. 
But  meantime  the  patient  may  "suddenly  become 
old,"  no  matter  how  young  the  interne.  A  physician 
of  about  ten  years'  active  practice  ought  always  to 
accompany  an  interne  until  he  has  practiced  at  least 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  193 

two  years.  (Read  chapter  "The  Doctor  and  The 
Public.")  With  all  respect  to  our  zealous  interne, 
the  patients  should  always  be  given  first  consider- 
ation. 

EXPERIMENTATION 

No  experimentation,  or  "trying-this-out"  process, 
should  be  practiced  in  a  clinic  or  hospital  for  human 
beings  or  even  in  a  hospital  for  dumb  animals,  for 
they  are  also  living  creatures  and  deserve  our  pro- 
tection. No  human  vivisection  or  sub-human  vivi- 
section should  be  conducted  in  a  hospital  because  it 
means  experiments  upon  dying  children,  the  poor,  the 
feebleminded,  and  the  defenseless.  Serums  and  vac- 
cines should  never  be  inoculated  into  "free  ward" 
patients  without  first  telling  them  of  the  possible 
dangers  resulting  therefrom. 

THE  "FREE"  WARD 

Think  of  not  permitting  a  private  physician  to 
attend  or  treat  a  patient  who  is  in  the  "free"  ward 
of  a  hospital.  The  physician  is  asked,  many  times, 
by  friends  of  the  poor  patients,  to  see  the  patient  at 
the  hospital,  treat  him,  and  see  to  it  that  "they" 
take  good  care  of  him.  Those  friends  forget,  or  do 
not  know,  that  "it  is  against  the  rules"  and  perhaps 
"inethical"  to  suggest  any  change  for  the  welfare  of 
the  patient.  If  the  patient  should  happen  to  die, 
the  friends  would  have  to  be  consoled  with  the  knowl- 
edge that  the  patient  died  "within  the  rules,"  or  "ac- 
cording to  the  rules  and  regulations."  How  better 
can  one  hope  to  die  in  some  "free"  wards  ?  And  yet, 
some  men  apparently  die  happier  when  they  leave 


194  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

in  their  wills  vast  sums  for  hospitals,  "free"  hospitals 
and  for  "free"  wards.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  even 
so-called  "free"  ward  patients  in  many  hospitals  have 
to  pay  certain  small  amounts  and  usually  two  weeks 
in  advance.  In  other  words :  when  you  once  "get  in" 
the  hospital,  you  better  count  upon  being  away  from 
busy  civilization  for  at  least  two  weeks. 

THE  "FREE"  CLINIC 

The  abuse  of  the  "free"  clinics  are  numerous. 
Think  of  the  poor  patients  standing  in  line  or  "wait- 
ing patiently"  for  many  hours  to  see  the  doctor. 
They  are  sometimes  told  to  come  at  9  A.  M.,  although 
the  doctor  in  charge  may  arrive  two  hours  late,  or 
fail  to  make  any  appearance.  Then  the  patient 
usually  has  to  pay  about  20  cents  or  more  for  his 
medicine  in  a  "free"  clinic.  How  about  the  free 
samples  that  are  sent  to  the  "free"  clinics  by  chemical 
manufacturers  for  the  benefit  of  "free"  patients? 
Do  not  others  besides  "free"  patients  get  them  ?  And 
is  not  the  manufacturer  exploited  if  the  patient  never 
gets  the  bottle  or  package  with  its  label  so  that  he 
may  become  familiar  with  the  patent  or  trade  name 
of  the  medicine  if  such  were  the  intentions  of  the 
donor?  A  great  deal  more  could  be  said,  but  I  shall 
leave  other  facts  pertaining  to  "free"  clinics  to  your 
own  investigation.  Further,  is  not  the  so-called 
"free"  patient  actually  paying  more,  many  times, 
when  he  surrenders  his  body  (and  his  life)  to  the 
well-meaning  interne  or  young,  inexperienced  surgeon 
or  physician,  to  be  treated  or  operated  on?  Is  that 
not  sufficient  payment? 

Ambulance  service  or  "prompt"  responses  to  tele- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  195 

phone  calls  are  sometimes  so  "prompt"  that  the 
patient  dies  before  the  ambulance  gets  out  of  its  cosy 
garage.  You  may  be  surprised  to  learn  that  some 
hospitals  have  no  pulmotor  (resuscitating  appa- 
ratus) for  their  use. 

Although  the  hospitals,  free  wards,  free  clinics, 
emergency  staffs,  and  ambulance  service  do  some 
good,  their  abuse  and  deficiencies  remind  one  of  the 
automobile  generators,  which  do  not  generate  and  the 
automobile  service  which  does  not  serve.  I  say  this 
with  all  respect  to  my  brother  physicians  who  attend 
to  hospital  or  ambulance  service  and  to  my  brothers 
of  the  laity  who  are  not  supposed  to  know  much 
about  these  things. 


THE    FOOD    ISSUE 


Another  vital  point  is  that  of  food.  The  food 
problem  in  many  hospitals  may  be  best  described  in 
one  word,  "horrible."  People  have  been  fed  on  stuff 
they  could  not  digest;  and  in  a  uniform  manner  as 
if  they  were  prisoners.  One  would  infer  from  such 
dieting  that  all  patients  (in  the  "free"  wards  espe- 
cially) had  stomachs,  intestines,  and  kidneys  of  equal 
capacity,  strength,  and  ability  to  function.  Instead 
of  making  a  urine  analysis,  or  finding  out  the  likes 
and  dislikes  of  the  patient,  he  is  handed  over  "grub" 
in  a  uniform,  stereotyped,  aimless  manner.  What  a 
disgrace !  One  would  ordinarily  expect  every  hos- 
pital to  have  expert  dietitians — people  who  are  ex- 
perts on  food,  but  such  is  not  always  the  case.  There 
are  only  a  few  hospitals  ( comparatively  speaking)  in 
the  United  States  whose  managers  know  much  about 
or  lay  stress  on  the  matter  of  diet,  and  among  the 


196  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

few  may  be  mentioned  The  Battle  Creek  Sanitarium, 
which  the  writer  has  investigated.  The  trouble,  how- 
ever, is  that  it  costs  so  much  at  Battle  Creek  Sani- 
tarium and  at  other  sanitariums  where  diet  is  an 
important  issue,  that  a  poor  man  cannot  afford 
it. 

On  the  subject  of  food  and  general  abuse  of 
patients  at  hospitals,  we  shall  here  quote  from  only 
one  press  clipping,  which  speaks  for  itself. 

JERSEY  CITY  HOSPITAL  PATIENTS  FED  FROM 
TROUGH.  SPECIAL  NURSE  IN  INSTITUTION 
TESTIFIES  AT  HEARING.  THE  FOOD— NOT  FIT 
FOR  A  SICK  HORSE— MANY  CASES  OF  ABUSE. 

"I  will  resign  as  Mayor  and  close  Jersey  City  Hospital 
rather  than  allow  this  condition  to  continue.  I  will  not  let 
these  fellows  stain  me  with  their  filth  and  corruption." 

This  statement  was  made  yesterday  by  Mayor  Frank 
Hague  of  Jersey  City  at  a  public  hearing  in  the  City  Hall  of 
complaints  of  conditions  at  the  hospital.  Serious  charges  of 
neglect  and  mismanagement  were  made  against  Superintendent 
John  J.  McDonald  and  the  visiting  staff. 

Witnesses  testified  that  patients  in  one  ward  were  compelled 
to  eat  out  of  a  trough  on  the  floor;  that  contagious  patients 
were  placed  in  wards  with  others  suffering  only  from  injuries, 
and  that  filth  and  neglect  which  had  resulted  in  several  deaths 
were  in  evidence  throughout  the  Institution. 

It  is  believed  in  Jersey  City  that  Mayor  Hague  will  file  with 
the  City  Commission  charges  of  incompetency  against  SupL 
McDonald.  When  seen  last  night  by  a  World  reporter,  the 
Superintendent  refused  to  make  any  comment. 

Edward  Lamb,  a  special  nurse  in  the  alcoholic  ward,  testi- 
fied that  it  was  his  custom  to  place  a  trough  on  the  floor  and 
ladle  out  food  to  the  patient,  and  that  the  special  diet  he  had 
asked  for  at  one  time  "was  not  fit  for  a  sick  horse."  He  said 
he  knows  of  a  patient  who  died  thirty-six  hours  after  leaving 
the  hospital  as  a  result  of  improper  treatment  while  there. 

Dr.  Norman  L.  Rowe,  of  the  visiting  staff,  in  charge  of 
maternity  cases,  told  of  women  who  had  recently  become 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  197 

. 

mothers  being  moved  into  public  wards  in  which  were  cases 
varying  from  consumption  to  loathsome  diseases. 

Mrs.  Ellen  Keen,  of  No.  54  Kearny  Avenue,  testified  that 
her  son,  neglected  at  the  hospital,  had  slipped  out  of  bed  and 
had  broken  his  leg,  and  that  the  doctors  when  told  of  it  had 
merely  laughed  at  him.  Miss  P.  Howe,  a  private  nurse,  testified 
that  conditions  at  the  hospital  were  the  worst  she  had  seen  in 
eleven  years'  experience. 

Numerous  complaints  were  made  of  delayed  treatment  in 
the  hospital  clinic,  supposed  to  be  open  to  the  public  certain 
hours  every  day.  Mrs.  Crosby,  a  maternity  patient,  testified 
she  had  been  seriously  neglected,  that  she  had  seen  a  nurse 
strike  a  woman  who  was  screaming  from  labor  pains.  Tes- 
timony was  offered  by  several  others  along  similar  lines. 

THE    MEDICAL    CLIQUE 

On  another  and  no  less  important  phase  of  hospital 
abuse,  American  Medicine  (September,  1908),  in 
part,  says: 

"The  hospital  problem  is  bound  to  call  in  the  near  future  for 
serious  attention  on  the  part  of  thinking  medical  men.  No  one 
can  deny  that  the  development  of  medical  eleemosynary  institu- 
tions has  been  largely  responsible  for  the  progress  of  medical 
and  surgical  science.  But  coincidental  with  the  growth  of  the 
hospital  idea,  grave  dangers  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  medi- 
cal profession  have  appeared.  In  most  communities  where 
every  one  finds  a  hospital,  there  also  will  one  find  a  small 
clique  of  medical  men  enjoying  especial  advantages  and  priv- 
ileges by  virtue  of  their  hospital  connection.  Their  less  fortu- 
nate and  influential  colleagues  are  denied  these  advantages, 
and  are  proportionately  handicapped  in  the  practice  of  their 
profession.  .  .  .  Therefore  if  hospitals  have  not  fulfilled  their 
most  complete  function  in  any  community  the  reason  can 
usually  be  found  in  rules  which  confer  special  advantages  on 
a  few  medical  men  and  rigorously  deny  any  privileges  to  those 
outside  the  'charmed  circle.' 

"The  ideal  hospital  system,  and  one  that  sooner  or  later  must 
be  adopted,  is  that  which  offers  to  every  medical  man  the  op- 
portunity of  placing  his  patients  in  any  hospital  he  or  they 
may  elect,  there  to  treat  them  with  all  the  freedom  that  is 
his  as  a  legally  qualified  practitioner  of  medicine.  .  .  .  Hos- 


198  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

pitals  will  then  become  in  reality  what  they  were  originally 
intended  to  be,  institutions  solely  for  the  use  and  welfare  of 
the  public,  and  not  institutions  for  the  promotion  of  private 
gain,  professional  or  otherwise,  as  under  present  conditions  is 
too  often  the  case." 

MEDICAL    POLITICS    MUST    BE    ELIMINATED 

As  long  as  physicians  can  get  on  the  hospital  staff, 
merely  because  of  politics  or  influence;  because  a 
friend  or  an  uncle  was  on  it  for  years;  because  of 
"standing  in"  with  the  "favored  ones" ;  because  of  be- 
longing to  certain  societies,  or  being  graduated  from 
certain  schools,  or  for  other  such  reasons  or  lack  of 
reasons,  just  so  long  will  the  people  continue  suffer- 
ing from  these  abuses,  getting  a  minimum  of  service, 
little  satisfaction  and  few  results  from  hospital  ser- 
vice. It  seems  that  the  people  will  never  get  much 
real  benefit  from  hospitals  until  politics  in  the  pro- 
fession, medical  school  issues,  religious  and  racial 
prejudices,  and  money  considerations  are  eliminated. 
Why  should  not  all  hospitals  be  "graft-less,"  and 
people-benefiting  institutions  composed  of  free  wards 
for  all  members  of  the  community,  irrespective  of 
wealth — just  as  the  public  school  is  free  for  every 
child  in  the  community?  Furthermore,  why  should 
not  every  doctor  in  a  community  irrespective  of 
"school"  be  on  the  community-hospital  staff  and  be 
well  compensated  for  service  rendered  the  community? 
Instead  of  the  city  or  state  employing  a  few  experts 
on  health  as  at  present  why  should  it  not  employ  all 
the  health  experts  (drug  and  drugless)  in  the  com- 
munity, namely,  all  the  doctors?  Eventually,  the 
people  will  demand  such  humanity-serving  hospitals 
even  if  they  themselves  must  own  and  control  the 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  199 

hospitals,  the  medical  schools,  and  all  that  goes  with 
them.  In  fact,  nothing  pertaining  to  health  should 
be  contaminated  with  private  or  corporate  owner- 
ship. Health  and  life  should  be  considered  too  sacred 
to  be  commercialized. 


THE  DOCTOR  AND  THE  PUBLIC 

Human  health — one  of  the  most  important  yet 
neglected  of  subjects,  will  some  day  become  a  lead- 
ing issue  before  the  people.  The  various  sources 
of  acquiring  and  distributing  health  knowledge  and 
practice  such  as  the  medical  schools,  hospitals,  state 
boards  of  health,  medical  examining  boards,  medical 
societies,  and  the  like  will  be  thoroughly  studied  and 
their  theories  and  practices  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  great  common  people.  Not  only  the  activities 
of  the  medical  schools,  examining  boards  and  medical 
societies  should  be  thoroughly  understood,  but  the 
relationship  of  the  doctor  to  the  public. 

The  doctor's  life  work  should  be  the  health  of  the 
public  and  the  public  in  turn  should  see  to  it  that 
the  doctor's  welfare  is  looked  after  in  every  detail 
so  that  he  can  better  continue  serving  the  suffering 
public  with  his  trained  skill  and  knowledge.  The 
questions  arise :  Does  the  doctor  treat — in  the  genu- 
ine sense  of  the  term — the  public  right,  as  he  would 
like  to?  To  put  it  in  a  different  way :  Does  the  pub- 
lic get  the  most  benefit  possible  from  the  doctor 
to-day,  considering  our  advanced  knowledge  of  hy- 
giene, chemistry,  diagnosis  and  allied  medical  knowl- 
edge? Again:  From  the  point  of  view  of  efficiency, 
does  the  public  treat  the  doctor  right  ?  Is  the  doctor 
being  encouraged  by  the  public  to  do  his  best? 

Further,  is  it  possible  to  conceive  a  plan  or  arrange- 

200 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  201 

ment  whereby  the  public  and  doctor,  both,  may  be 
most  benefited?  In  other  words:  Is  it  possible  to 
have  an  efficient  system  of  health  service,  whereby 
the  public  will  be  given  the  best  that  scientific  knowl- 
edge can  offer;  where  prevention  of  disease  will  be 
the  real  aim  of  the  doctor;  where  saving  the  patient 
from  prolonged  illness  or  sudden  death  will  not  mean 
a  monetary  loss  to  him;  where  the  doctor  is  not  a 
loser  (financially)  because  he  advises  the  people  to 
live  normally  and  thereby  maintain  health?  These 
and  similar  questions  are  important,  not  only  to  the 
philosopher  and  academician,  but  more  vital  to  the 
people  than  we  sometimes  realize,  and  are  worthy  of 
further  analysis. 

THE   THREE   MEDICAL  SCHOOLS   IN   THE   UNITED   STATES 

There  are  three  distinct  schools  of  medicine  in  the 
United  States :  the  Allopath,  Homeopath  and  Eclec- 
tic. To  explain  the  difference  between  these  three 
schools  of  medicine  would  require  a  volume.  To  be 
fair  to  all  of  them,  we  may  briefly  say:  Each 
possesses  some  virtues  and  some  faults;  although 
they  differ  fundamentally  in  their  conceptions  and 
interpretations  of  the  usage  and  effects  of  drugs  on 
the  human  body. 

THE  ALLOPATH  SCHOOL  AND  THE  "A.  M.  A." 

It  so  happens  that  the  Allopath  school — the  oldest 
existing  school,  commonly  known  as  the  "regular," 
is  now  the  dominant  school.  It  is  asserted  by  most 
physicians  of  the  later  schools  and  many  of  their 
own  practitioners  that  this  school  of  medicine, 
through  its  organization,  called  the  "A.  M.  A." — 


202  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

American  Medical  Association — has  become  a  real 
trust  or  monopoly,  holding  the  lives  of  the  American 
people  in  the  palms  of  its  hands.  Further,  many 
Homeopaths  and  Eclectics  claim  that  the  "old 
school"  has  gotten  control  of  so  much  power,  wealth 
and  influence,  that  it  practically  controls  or  influ- 
ences most  of  the  state  boards  of  health,  the  examin- 
ing boards,  hospital  staffs,  clinics,  medical  societies, 
medical  legislation,  government  health  service,  medi- 
cal faculties,  various  publications,  medical  journals, 
manufacturing  establishments  of  "biological"  prod- 
ucts, microscopic  (and  surgical)  appliances,  drugs 
and  laboratory  equipment. 

MEDICINAL    ADMINISTRATIONS,    CHIEF    CAUSE    OF 
DIFFERENCE 

The  Homeopathic  and  Eclectic  schools  of  medicine, 
as  well  as  the  Allopathic,  have  the  same  four-year 
course  of  study.  They  all  teach  practically  the  same 
subjects,  such  as  Bacteriology,  Pathology,  Chemis- 
try, Anatomy,  Physiology,  Obstetrics,  and  Gynecol- 
ogy.  The  main  technical  distinction  is  in  their 
method  of  administrating  medicines — their  materia 
medico-  (the  study  of  medical  agencies  employed  in 
the  treatment  of  disease). 

It  would  seem  that  each  could  and  should  go  about 
his  business  and  let  the  other  alone,  but  such  is  not 
the  case.  The  Allopath  claims  that  the  Eclectic  and 
Homeopath  are  in  his  way ;  that  they  are  insurgents 
— medical  rebels  and  the  like.  The  Eclectics  and 
Homeopaths  claim  that  the  Allopaths  are  "old-fash- 
ioned" and  that  they  cling  to  blood-letting,  and  the 
excessive  use  and  abuse  of  mercury,  quinine  and  mor- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  203 

phine ;  that  they  worship  the  knife,  and  the  like.  So 
the  lines  of  demarcation  are  very  well  defined.  Thus, 
we  have  in  the  medical  profession  unnecessary  chaos 
— or  three  separate,  distinct  and  conflicting  gov- 
erning bodies,  whose  strife  is  far  from  ended,  al- 
though nearing  an  end  apparently. 

MEDICAL    EXAMINING    BOARDS    AND    RECIPROCITIES 

Every  state  in  the  union  has  a  state  medical  ex- 
amining board.  The  function  of  this  board  is  to 
examine  the  young  graduate  (now  a  full-fledged 
M.D.),  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  he  is  qualified 
to  practice  medicine  in  the  state.  Remember,  that 
this  examination  by  the  examining  board  must  be 
gone  through  by  every  would-be  practitioner,  after 
he  has  received  his  diploma  from  a  legally  chartered 
college  or  school  of  medicine.  This  board  also  has 
for  its  function  the  granting  of  a  form  of  reciprocity, 
the  right  to  practice  medicine  to  outsiders;  that  is, 
physicians  from  other  states  may  present  their  diplo- 
mas, licenses  and  other  certificates  of  qualification, 
and  the  board,  according  to  its  own  laws  and  dis- 
cretion, may  grant  them  a  license  to  practice 
medicine. 

In  some  states  the  Allopath,  Homeopath  and  Ec- 
lectic physicians  have  their  own  separate  and  distinct 
medical  examining  boards,  where  graduates  of  their 
respective  schools  of  medicine  come  to  be  examined 
as  to  qualifications  for  receiving  a  license  to  practice 
medicine  in  that  state.  In  other  states,  however, 
the  Eclectic  and  Homeopath  physicians  are  deprived 
of  the  right  to  have  their  own  boards,  but  instead  ap- 
pear before  a  "composite"  board;  that  is,  so  many 


204  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

examiners  of  the  Allopath,  Eclectic  and  Homeopath 
school,  respectively,  or  cooperatively  do  the  examin- 
ing of  all  who  seek  a  license  to  practice  medicine. 
"Fairness"  could  exist  in  such  a  "composite"  board, 
if  prejudice,  malice,  and  professional  envy  and  vanity 
did  not  exist.  But,  it  has  been  said  with  truth  that 
there  is  more  "jealousy"  among  physicians  than 
among  any  other  group  of  professional  people  or 
tradesmen  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  And,  since  that 
is  the  case,  or  even  partially  true,  many  a  good 
physician  no  longer  a  very  young  man,  after  strug- 
gling for  years  to  receive  his  medical  diploma, — and 
probably,  working  hard  many  a  sleepless  night,  in 
order  to  earn  his  room  rent  or  a  meal  while  studying 
at  school,  is  deprived  of  a  license  to  practice  his 
chosen  life  work  because  he  has  not  been  graduated 
from  "our"  school,  or  because  the  applicant's  school 
has  not  been  considered  favorably  by  this  Board  of 
Examiners,  although  the  very  next  state  thinks  it 
O.  K.  and  grants  reciprocity.  Other  reasons  or  pre- 
tences, such  as  having  written  or  lectured  on  health 
issues  or  protested  before  a  legislative  body  against 
some  medical  abuse,  may  be  utilized  against  an  ap- 
plicant, thus  depriving  him  of  a  natural  right  to  ren- 
der human  service,  for  which  he  is  prepared  by  virtue 
of  years  of  study,  training  and  practice.  Many 
physicians  differ  widely  on  certain  prevailing  theo- 
ries in  the  profession  and  declare  themselves  in  pri- 
vate, yet  have  not  the  courage  of  their  convictions, 
for  fear  of  their  "bread  and  butter"  or  "prestige." 

INTEENAI,  WAEFAEE 

In  some  states  where  the  Eclectic  and  Homeopathic 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  205 

physicians  are  numerous,  the  prejudices  or  misunder- 
standings are  not  so  great.  In  fact,  sometimes  the 
various  physicians  are  the  best  of  friends — as  they 
really  should  be  and  some  day  will  be.  But  the  bit- 
terness has  been  so  great  in  the  past  that  doctors  of 
different  schools  would  not  consult  with  one  another, 
— especially  has  that  been  true  of  the  Allopathic  or 
old  school  physicians.  It  is  much  better  now,  thank 
goodness,  but  the  basis  of  common  understanding  is 
still  far  distant.  Why  should  it  be  so?  And  above 
all,  are  the  people  benefited  by  such  internal  dissen- 
sion or  misunderstanding? 

SCHOOL    VERSUS    EXAMINING    BOABDS 

Let  us  first  see  what  a  state  medical  examining 
board  really  means.  With  all  respect  to  those  who 
are  on  it,  and  to  all  parties  concerned,  let  me  briefly 
ask:  Is  not  the  very  existence  of  an  examining 
board  a  reflection  upon  the  honesty,  ability  and  ca- 
pacity of  a  school  or  college?  If  a  medical  school 
or  college  has  the  legal  right  to  grant  the  degree  of 
M.D.  (doctor  of  medicine)  upon  a  person,  after  a 
four  years'  course  of  education  (perchance  a  lot 
of  Trcweducation),  after  years  of  lectures,  quizzes, 
laboratory  experience,  clinical  experiment  and  text- 
book study,  it  would  seem  that  that  would  be  suf- 
ficient without  making  him  undergo  the  torture  of 
re-examination — at  a  time  when  the  graduate  is 
usually  exhausted  and  in  a  state  of  anxiety.  It 
should  be  understood  that  the  faculty  grades  the 
students  according  to  attendance,  practical  work, 
laboratory  work  and  quizzes,  frequent  examinations 
and  "finals."  Is  not  that  sufficient  test  and  some- 


206  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

times  torture  to  ascertain  the  qualifications  of  the 
graduate?  If  a  college  or  school  cannot  be  trusted, 
— if,  in  other  words,  the  ability  and  integrity  of  a 
medical  faculty  and  board  of  trustees  cannot  be  con- 
sidered above  reproach, — then  why  grant  such  a 
school  or  college  a  charter,  which  is  the  legal  sanc- 
tion by  the  state,  of  the  existence  and  qualifications 
of  such  school?  Is  it  not  an  inconsistency  to  say, 
first,  to  a  body  of  men:  Yes,  you  gentlemen  know 
your  business,  you  have  an  ideal  location,  sufficient 
scientific  equipment  for  a  school  and  hospital,  you 
may  begin  to  conduct  your  school — here  is  your  legal 
sanction — your  State  Charter ;  and  then — four  years 
later — practically  say:  It  is  true  I  gave  you  the 
right  to  teach  these  boys  and  to  prepare  them  for 
the  noblest  of  all  callings,  and  it  is  equally  true  that 
you  have  examined  them  and  found  them  qualified; 
but  I  do  not  trust  your  judgment;  I  do  not  believe 
you;  I  am  going  to  have  a  separate  and  distinct 
board,  called  the  board  of  examiners — a  sort  of 
board  of  censors, — to  give  the  boys  the  "third  de- 
gree" examination.  Is  there  not  something  wrong 
somewhere?  Oh!  consistency,  where  is  thine  abode? 
Dost  thou  dwell  on  earth? 

INEFFICIENCY  AND   HARDSHIPS    OF   EXAMINING    BOARDS 

Why  should  the  state  have  so  much  unnecessary 
expense?  Why  should  so  many  poor  boys  be  bled 
another  "25  spot" — probably  their  last,  a  fee  to  be 
examined  again,  after  undergoing  so  many  examina- 
tions already?  Why  should  a  practicing  physician 
have  to  be  r^-examined  if  he  decides  to  practice  in 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  207 

another  state?  Is  it  not  the  same  protoplasm  to  be 
dealt  with  in  all  states?  Must  the  prospective  prac- 
titioner be  made  to  feel  that  he  is  constantly  before 
some  prosecuting  attorney,  or  confessing  his  sins 
before  a  priest  or  rabbi? 

If  an  examination  must  be  endured,  why  should 
there  not  be  one  national  examining  board,  composed 
of  an  equal  number  of  members  of  the  three  schools 
of  medicine?  Would  that  not  be  preferable  to  having 
fifty  boards,  holding  meetings  at  fifty  different  times 
in  fifty  different  cities  wasting  so  much  human  energy, 
time  and  money?  One  board,  conducted  without 
prejudice  or  malice  would  be  sufficient.  Why  should 
not  this  one  national  board  have  its  headquarters, 
say,  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  or  Chicago,  yet  permit 
the  applicant  to  take  his  examination  in  the  city 
where  he  graduates,  at  the  post  office  building,  as  if  it 
were  a  civil  service  examination?  The  examination 
would  be  uniform  throughout  the  country  and  would 
give  the  successful  applicant  the  privilege  of  national 
practice.  In  other  words,  he  could  then  practice 
medicine  in  any  state  in  the  union  without  further 
hardship  or  ceremony.  There  should  be  no  fees  at- 
tached to  such  examination;  if  any,  they  should  be 
fifty  cents  or  a  dollar  to  pay  for  pen,  ink  and  sta- 
tionery. Those  who  manage  the  examinations  should 
be  well  compensated  by  the  government.  Would 
such  plan  not  be  more  honorable,  efficient  and 
consistent? 

TECHNICAL    VERSUS    PRACTICAL    EXAMINATIONS 

Another    matter    in    connection    with    this    state 


208  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

board  examination  business  is  that  the  examinations 
should  be  practical,  intelligent,  and  human.  They 
should  be  divided  into  written,  oral  and  clinical  parts, 
mainly  clinical  and  oral.  The  examination,  if  had 
at  all,  should  prove  a  person's  qualifications  to  treat 
human  beings  who  need  careful,  human  and  intelligent 
treatment.  In  plainer  language,  I  mean  this:  I 
would  rather  the  examinee  would  prove  his  knowledge 
of  diagnosis  of  illness  and  treatment  of  patients — be 
able  to  tell  what  he  would  do  during  a  certain  crisis, 
how  he  would  manage  the  patient,  for  example,  in 
a  case  presenting  a  group  of  symptoms  called  Lobar 
Pneumonia,  or  Bright's  Disease;  what  he  knows  of 
Diet,  Hygiene,  etc.,  then  be  able  to  tell  me, — on  paper 
(perhaps  whispered  to  him  by  another  student) — 
the  size  of  a  microbe's  abdomen;  the  length  of  its 
teeth  or  mustache;  how  many  sisters  the  microbe 
had;  the  maiden  name  of  the  ever-growing  list  of 
germs  and  the  like.  I  don't  care  whether  we  have  one 
germ  or  a  billion  on  every  atomic  speck  on  earth;  it 
makes  very  little  difference  whether  or  not  a  fellow 
spells  such  words  as  arterio-sclerosis,  pronator  radii 
teres,  latissimus  dorsi  correctly  or  not.  I  sometimes 
think  the  world  would  not  cease  to  revolve  if  the 
medical  student  did  not  memorize  the  layers  of  super- 
ficial and  deep  muscles,  which  he  usually  forgets  later 
anyhow.  I  would  a  thousand  times  .rather  he  knew 
psychology,  sociology,  the  healing  power  of  love, 
friendship,  and  music,  as  well  as  practical  anatomy 
and  physiology,  plus  the  principles  of  dietetics  and 
hygiene,  than  to  be  on  speaking  terms  with  every 
microbe.  I  would  also  want  to  know  what  the  ex- 
aminee knows  about  health — not  merely  disease. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  209 

THE  COLLEGE  ITSELF 

There  is  more  rational  medicine  or  therapeutics 
taught  in  many  a  small  school  or  college  than  in  the 
large,  beautifully  decorated  school  with  massive  mar- 
ble walls,  high  ceilings,  many  microscopes,  fancy  test 
tubes,  baseball  teams  and  tennis  courts.  Some  of  the 
most  prominent  physicians  in  the  United  States  came 
from  small,  almost  unheard  of  colleges  or  universities, 
and  as  for  preparatory  requirements,  such  as  a  high 
school  diploma,  one  or  two  years'  academic  work,  so 
many  units  for  college  work,  or  a  degree  such  as  B.A., 
and  the  like,  as  a  prerequisite  to  entering  a  medical 
college,  let  us  be  reminded  that  some  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  physicians  of  our  time  have 
been  men  who  entered  college  when  the  two-year 
course  was  still  in  vogue.  And  those  college  years 
meant  practically  five  months'  work  a  year.  Many  a 
student  worked  part  of  the  day  or  remained  out  of 
college  many  days  at  a  time  because  he  had  to  work 
to  make  ends  meet  while  going  to  college,  and  yet,  he 
became  an  intelligent,  prominent  and  successful  doc- 
tor. Not  only  that,  but  many  of  these  same  good, 
elderly  men  in  the  profession  never  went  to  a  public 
school  further  than  the  fifth  or  sixth  grades.  There 
was  a  time  when,  if  a  young  man  studied  under  his 
father  or  uncle  for  a  certain  length  of  time  (and, 
who  will  swear  that  he  "put  in  full  time")  he  was 
then  permitted  to  take  an  examination,  and  if  he 
passed,  received  his  license  to  practice.  Later  on, 
some  of  these  physicians  became  the  teachers, — and 
the  professors  in  colleges.  They,  themselves,  did 
the  teaching  to  others.  Some  wrote  wonderful  ar- 


210  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tides  in  medical  and  popular  journals  and  even  wrote 
textbooks  that  we  younger  and  modern  physicians 
consult  from  time  to  time. 

Again :  the  truth  is  that  natural  adaptability  and 
love  for  the  healing  art  and  knowledge  is  more  essen- 
tial or  important  as  a  requisite  for  matriculation  and 
preparation,  in  a  medical  school,  for  the  life  work  of 
being  a  physician  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term,  than 
is  mere  academic  knowledge,  usually  crammed  into 
the  brain,  in  order  to  "pass"  examinations,  and  ob- 
tain the  needed  degree  or  diploma.  In  other  words, 
so-called  education  (the  kind  you  are  supposed  to 
receive  at  high  schools  and  certain  colleges)  is  not 
always  a  complete,  true  or  absolute  requisite  for  a 
fundamental  knowledge  of  principles  in  the  study  of 
man,  in  health  and  disease.  Further,  it  simply  proves 
that  the  school  does  not  necessarily  make  the  man, 
but  that  the  man  makes  the  school. 

REAL   EDUCATION   VERSUS   ENGRAVED    PIECES    OF    PAPER 

Far  be  it  from  the  author  to  decry  or  belittle  the 
value  of  real  education.  In  fact,  the  more  genuine 
education  and  real  knowledge  the  better,  but  we  claim 
that  merely  having  "passed"  high  school  examina- 
tions or  "going  through  a  college"  is  not  m  its  last 
analysis  a  real  and  sufficient  requisite  or  "prelimi- 
nary" for  a  medical  education.  We  would  rather  ad- 
mit a  young  man  who  possesses  good  common  sense 
and  only  a  common  school  education  plus  adaptability 
and  love  for  the  healing  art,  than  a  "silk  hose,  fancy, 
necktie  dude,"  who  just  arrived  "fresh"  from  college 
with  his  B.  A.  in  hand  (not  in  head)  and  who  would 
never  matriculate,  were  it  not  for  his  rich  father's 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  211 

forcing  him  to  enter  school  or  because  "ma"  thinks 
it  is  "so  nice'*  to  call  her  pet  boy  "doctor."  We 
would  prefer  common  sense  and  love  of  human  service, 
plus  ordinary  knowledge,  any  time  to  artificial  or  rou- 
tine training  (sometimes  stifling  individuality)  and 
"parrot-like  education."  The  mere  possession  of  a 
piece  of  engraved  paper  (diploma)  is  no  true  indica- 
tion of  what  is  stored  up  in  a  man's  cranium. 

We  suggest  that  a  psychoanalyst  examine  the 
prospective  medical  student  to  ascertain  his  natural 
adaptability  or  fitness  for  this  particular  kind  of  life 
work.  No  doubt  the  same  measure  should  be  applied 
to  prospective  students  in  all  professions  and  in 
every  vocation  or  line  of  human  effort. 

Let  the  would-be  teacher,  psychologist,  judge, 
mayor,  congressman  and  president  undergo  such 
scrutiny.  Then  will  the  people  have  experts  who 
are  truly  proficient. 

THE   PROGEESSIVE   AND   TOLERANT   SCHOOL 

It  would  seem  that  medical  schools  should  have  "a 
chair"  for  each  system  of  medication.  The  Allo- 
pathic, Eclectic  and  Homeopathic  systems  should  be 
taught  by  the  respective  experts  on  the  subjects. 
In  this  way  the  young  physician  would  know  all 
systems  of  medication  and  could  adopt  any  system 
(or  combination  of  systems)  that  appealed  most 
rationally  to  him,  or  select  from  all  systems  that 
which  appears  the  most  wholesome,  reliable,  effective 
and  natural. 

Why  not  teach  also  in  the  schools  all  the  drugless 
methods?  Osteopathy,  mechano-therapy,  hydro- 
therapy,  chiropractic,  dietetics,  mental-therapy  and 


212  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

all  other  systems  of  treatment  should  be  taught  un- 
der one  roof.  Why  not?  What  harm  could  there 
be  in  it?  Why  not  be  tolerant?  If  there  is  good  in 
any  of  these  "new"  methods  of  treatments,  let  men 
know  them  and  adopt  them,  and  if  not,  they  can 
surely  discard  them  or  not  even  accept  them.  It  may 
seem  to  those  who  have  not  investigated  this  phase 
of  the  subject  that  a  study  of  all  systems  of  healing 
— drug  and  drugless — might  prolong  the  course  of 
study  to  eight  or  ten  years,  instead  of  four  or  five 
as  now,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  If  some  of  the  sub- 
jects in  the  medical  colleges  were  eliminated,  such  as 
Serum  Therapy  and  Bacteriology  (should  be  studied 
under  the  domain  of  Biology  at  High  School,  at  the 
University,  under  private  tutorship,  or  alone),  and 
if  all  teachers  were  full  paid  teachers  and  were  real 
pedagogues,  even  a  two-year  course  (one  year  for 
theory  and  one  year  for  practical  work)  would  be 
sufficient  for  most  persons  of  intelligence.  I  believe 
that  this  advanced  view  may  disturb  the  "dignity"  of 
some,  who  still  worship  the  "hurrah  spirit"  of  my 
alma  mater,  my  class,  my  college  and  my  profession, 
but  we  feel  confident  that  a  close  study  (without 
prejudice  or  monetary  interest)  will  convince  all 
truth-loving  persons  that  this  view  and  suggestion  is 
correct  and  timely.  The  present  four  and  five-year 
system — full  of  technicalities  (largely  of  academic 
importance)  is  uncalled  for  and  works  a  hardship 
on  those  who  would  love  to  study  health  and  the  heal- 
ing art.  In  that  way  the  young  physician  would 
come  out  more  of  a  "finished  product,"  and  he  would 
not  be  prejudiced.  Thus  the  public,  as  well  as  the 
doctor  himself,  would  be  better  off.  The  old,  narrow 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  213 

training  and  feeling  that  only  "my  ideas"  are  right, 
and  Jones'  ideas  are  not  even  worth  listening  to,  is 
all  wrong.  Let  us  have  democracy,  even  in  the  study 
of  medicine.  We  are  living  in  a  more  progressive 
age  and  it  would  be  very  timely  and  becoming.  (If 
any  one  believes  he  has  a  still  better  plan  or  sugges- 
tion to  offer,  he  is  invited  to  communicate  with  the 
author,  who  will  be  very  thankful  to  him.) 

TEACHING  AND  THE  TEACHER 

Medical  teachers  should  be  real  pedagogues.  They 
should  not  only  know  their  subjects,  but  be  capable 
of  conveying  their  knowledge  in  a  comprehensive 
yet  interesting  and  original  style  to  the  student. 
It  is  torture  to  have  a  good  subject,  such  as  Anat- 
omy, or  Physiology,  abused  and  made  repulsive  just 
because  the  teacher  knows  as  much  about  the  science 
of  teaching  as  a  gonococci  germ  does  about  going 
to  church  on  Sunday.  Another  point :  Let  no  man 
become  a  member  of  the  faculty  merely  because  his 
uncle  is  the  president,  or  because  he  is  a  politician  in 
the  community.  If  we  cannot  have  real  teachers, 
and  real  teaching  on  real  subjects,  then  let  us  give 
up  the  schools.  Better  yet:  let  the  people  own  and 
control  the  medical  schools,  instead  of  having  them 
in  private  or  corporate  ownership  for  the  sake  of 
exploitation  or  personal  aggrandizements. 

We  should  have,  and  some  day  will  have,  a  uni- 
form entrance  requirement  and  uniform  graduation 
requirement  in  all  medical  schools  of  the  country.  In 
fact,  all  over  the  earth.  A  teacher  should  have  the 
right  to  teach  as  he  thinks  best  for  his  class  in  view  of 
his  subject.  He  should  not  be  discharged  by  the 


214  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Board  of  Trustees  for  having  discovered  a  fact,  nor 
for  giving  the  fact  to  the  class.  He  should  not  have 
a  muzzle  on  his  voice  or  brain  nor  a  string  attached 
to  him.  A  teacher  should  be  a  free  person  and  truly 
held  in  high  esteem.  He  should  be  well  compensated 
for  all  his  services.  He  should  be  so  well  paid  that 
he  can  afford  to  live  comfortably,  to  study  and  to 
give  the  best  that  is  in  him  to  the  class.  This  should 
apply  to  teachers  in  all  branches  of  learning.  He 
should  be  a  free  and  independent  man,  should  have 
his  position  by  virtue  of  merit  and  not  by  influence, 
politics  or  wealth.  We  should  encourage  rather  than 
discourage  teaching  in  every  field  of  study.  Further, 
we  should  teach  more  facts  and  fewer  theories  in  all 
schools.  We  should  adhere  to  the  proven  truths  even 
if  they  are  old  truths.  We  should  not  teach  that  of 
which  we  know  nothing.  We  should  do  less  guessing 
and  more  thinking.  Schools  should  not  exist  for  the 
sake  of  books,  instruments,  and  politics,  but  every- 
thing, so  to  speak,  should  exist  for  the  sake  of  the 
school,  which  should  be  the  medium  through  which 
knowledge  of  health  is  imparted  for  the  sake  of  alle- 
viating human  suffering  and  preventing  human  ail- 
ment. Schools  should  be  places  where  the  laws  of 
nature  are  taught  and  where  we  may  learn  that  the 
violation  of  nature's  laws  means  suffering  and  un- 
timely death,  whereas,  complying  with  nature's  laws 
means  comfort,  health,  vitality,  happiness  and 
longevity. 

THE  YOUNG  DOCTOR'S  PEEDICAMENT 

Now  as  to  the  doctor  himself,  remember  this:  the 
doctor  is   only  human.     He  has,   as   a  rule,   other 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  215 

mouths  to  feed  other  than  his  own.  The  landlord, 
the  milk  man,  and  the  grocery  man  do  not  exempt  him 
from  paying  for  his  means  of  existence,  and,  there- 
fore, he  must  charge  a  fee  for  his  services.  Every 
doctor  to-day  charges  fees  according  to  what  he 
believes  he  is  worth  to  the  patient,  based  upon  experi- 
ence, length  of  practice,  kind  of  service,  time  of  day 
and  the  like.  Many  claim  that  some  doctors,  when 
they  "start  out"  are  not  efficient  (despite  their  "pre- 
liminaries," years  of  study,  final  examinations,  and 
State  Board  reexaminations)  hence  the  poor  patients 
suffer.  There  seems  to  be  some  truth  in  that.  It  is 
also  true  that  many  young  physicians  have  no  proper 
equipment,  which  certainly  is  necessary.  Other  such 
deficiencies  can  easily  be  pointed  out,  although  not 
necessarily  the  fault  of  the  young  physician.  He  is 
a  victim  of  circumstances. 

The  truth  is  that  every  physician  ought  to  make 
of  his  work  a  continuous  post  graduate  course;  he 
ought  to  have  a  large  library ;  plenty  of  good  modern 
equipment;  a  good  modern  home  to  live  in,  wherein 
he  may  in  leisure  hours  read  and  study,  think  of  the 
cases  that  he  has  had,  etc.  There  are  times  when 
he  should  be  able  to  listen  to  a  good  lecture  or  go  to 
an  opera,  as  a  means  of  recreation,  human  study  and 
of  broadening  his  intellectual  horizon.  But  the 
young  doctor,  who  is  poor,  starting  out  without 
equipment,  with  a  poor  library,  composed  mainly  of 
a  few  old  textbooks,  an  almanac  and  the  Bible, 
has  no  such  chance.  Think  of  him  waiting  for  his 
first  patient.  Can  you  imagine  his  feelings  and  some 
of  his  mutterings  and  grumblings?  Think  of  him 
saying  to  himself  or  his  wife:  "I  guess  I'll  have  to 


216  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

join  a  few  lodges,  even  if  they  take  my  last  few  dol- 
lars; I  must  meet  some  people,  I  must  get  a  few 
patients,  if  not,  I  do  not  know  what  I'll  do."  Can 
you  expect  to  get  the  best  service  from  such  a  doctor 
at  that  moment,  if  perchance  you  call  him? 

THE  DOCTOR  OF  THE  FUTURE 

Now  picture  a  different  state  of  affairs.  The  mo- 
ment the  doctor  is  out  of  school  suppose  he  were  to 
receive  an  annual  salary  of,  let  us  say,  three  thou- 
sand dollars,  payable  monthly;  not  only  that,  but 
a  salary  increase  every  year.  Suppose  it  should  in- 
crease according  to  the  amount  of  competent  service 
rendered.  Furthermore,  suppose  he  has  access  to  a 
large  municipal  medical  library,  composed  of  about 
forty  thousand  volumes;  a  place  where  he  can,  at  a 
moment's  notice,  get  any  medical  reference  book  he 
may  desire  and  also  have  access  to  any  and  all 
equipment  free ;  all  this  could  easily  be  a  reality  if  we 
began  to  see  truth  as  it  is  and  not  as  some  would 
have  us  believe. 

Let  us  explain,  briefly:  Every  young  physician 
who  comes  out  of  a  medical  college  should  be  a  ser- 
vant— an  officer  of  the  people.  He  should  not  prac- 
tice "on  his  own  hook"  for  two  years.  He  should 
be  assigned  to  duty  under  the  supervision  of  another 
physician,  who  has  been  in  active  practice  about  eight 
or  ten  years.  This  young  physician  should  have  ac- 
cess not  only  to  this  large  municipal  medical  library 
but  should  attend  regular  clinics  and  visit  the  hos- 
pitals at  definite  times.  He  should  also  practice  with 
his  elder  physician  for  two  years.  After  two  years, 
he  could  be  sent  out  on  his  own  account,  for  then  he 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  217 

has  had  practical  bedside  training  and  other  useful 
experiences  (not  usually  heard  in  school  or  found  in 
textbooks)  under  the  tutelage  of  a  physician  of 
experience. 

This  young  physician  should,  during  these  two 
years,  receive  a  reasonable  salary  from  the  people  (the 
government)  so  as  to  keep  himself  and  family  in  good 
condition.  This  small  salary  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars, when  he  starts  practicing  on  his  own  account, 
enables  him  to  become  fairly  well  known  in  the  com- 
munity,— and  perhaps  fairly  well  liked,  for  he  then 
would  have  little  or  no  chance  to  make  many  enemies 
as  physicians  usually  do  and  always  will,  as  long 
as  they  have  to  charge  fees  for  services  to  individuals 
whom  they  treat.  He  does  not  have  to  charge  (nor 
overcharge)  fees,  and  he  is  able  to  pay  all  his 
bills  promptly.  He  opens  his  office  in  a  "Profes- 
sional Building,"  where  all  the  medical  officers  (physi- 
cians) have  their  quarters.  This  office  is  paid  for  by 
the  government.  He  does  not  have  to  worry,  waste 
time,  argue  with  his  wife,  "fall  out"  with  a  friend, 
and  make  an  enemy  of  a  patient  because  he  sends  him 
a  bill  or  insists  that  he  eliminate  bad  habits  and  live 
natural. 

Every  year  there  would  be  promotions  or  honorary 
degrees  conferred  upon  those  who  have  shown  merit 
or  skill  in  service.  This  would  be  an  incentive,  as 
it  should  be  to  all  normal  people  under  normal  cir- 
cumstances. The  physician  would  cheer  his  patients 
as  a  result.  His  very  presence  would  be  loved  and 
appreciated.  He  in  turn  would  love  to  do  all  in  his 
power.  The  "fear  of  to-morrow"  would  be  gone. 
He  would  not  worry  about  the  patient  calling  another 


218  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

doctor  or  that  he  will  not  get  paid  wheii  the  bill  is 
presented.  There  is  no  incentive  to  operate  when  it 
is  unnecessary,  nor  is  there  any  need  of  giving  a 
colored  water  prescription  for  the  "psychological" 
effect.  The  patient  is  kindly  told  the  truth;  he  is 
taught  self-reliance,  good  cheer,  how  to  prevent  ill- 
ness by  natural  and  simple  methods  of  living;  and 
all  concerned  are  happy.  In  that  way  we  would  be 
treating  our  physicians  properly  and,  in  return, 
the  public  would  get  the  maximum  of  attention, 
knowledge  and  health. 

The  physicians  should  be  guardians  of  the  people's 
health,  and  the  people  should  make  it  possible  for 
those  who  become  health  experts,  not  to  be  hindered 
from  doing  everything  in  their  power  for  the  benefit 
of  the  long  exploited  public.  In  other  words:  the 
physicians'  income,  promotions  and  honor  should 
depend  upon  the  health  of  the  people  instead  of  upon 
sickness,  agony,  poverty  and  sometimes  untimely 
death,  as  is  largely  the  case  to-day. 


ETHICS  AND  THE  DOCTOR1 

Ethics,  or  moral  philosophy,  is  the  study  of  rules 
and  principles  relating  to  human  conduct  or  duty. 
There  are,  of  course,  various  rules  of  practice  for  the 
various  professions  and  vocations,  such  as  political 
or  social  ethics,  legal  ethics,  and  medical  ethics.  The 
writer  is  chiefly  concerned  with  the  subject  of  medical 
ethics ;  that  is  to  say,  the  relationship  and  duties  of 
the  physician  to  the  patient  and  vice  versa;  between 
physicians  regarding  consultation;  interference; 
compensation  and  duties  of  the  profession  to  the 
public.  What  really  concerns  the  public  most  is 
the  clear  understanding  of  the  duties  and  obligations 
of  the  physician  to  the  public  and  of  the  public  to  the 
doctor. 

Let  us  say,  in  advance,  that  physicians,  irrespec- 
tive of  school,  be  it  Allopath,  Eclectic,  or  Homeo- 
path, are,  as  a  whole,  as  ethical  or  as  honorable  as 
any  group  of  men  in  any  profession.  It  is  claimed 

i  This  article  appeared  in  the  American  Journal  of  Clinical 
Medicine  for  May,  1920,  with  the  following  editorial  comment: 
"Here  is  a  discussion  of  medical  ethics  that  offers  much  food 
for  thought.  Physicians  are  not  perfect.  No  one  claims  that 
they  are;  and,  if  they  were,  they  would  be  the  most  insuffer- 
able prigs  to  live  with.  However,  certain  rules  of  conduct,  in 
dealings  with  their  clients,  among  themselves  and  with  the 
public  at  large,  are  properly  formulated  and  should  be  lived 
up  to  by  each  individual  physician.  Our  shortcomings  we 
deplore.  It  is  well  that  they  are  called  to  our  attention  from 
time  to  time." 

219 


220  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

that  physicians  are  devoid  of  conscience,  in  numerous 
ways;  such  as  making  more  visits  to  the  patient's 
bedside  than  are  necessary;  that  those  skilled  in 
surgery  abuse  that  ability  by  advising  operations, 
when  conditions  do  not  warrant  them;  that  some 
guarantee  to  cure  apparently  incurable  ailments 
when,  in  all  truthfulness,  the  physician  should  not 
and  cannot  guarantee  the  cure  of  any  ailment;  that 
physicians  neglect  to  diagnose  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
orders due  to  psychic  or  economic  influences,  and 
administer  medicines  while  ignoring  the  patient's 
habits,  temperament  and  occupation.  If  they  occur, 
I  do  not  justify  these  demerits  or  neglects.  I  ask  the 
impartial,  unbiased  reader  to  name  a  profession,  vo- 
cation or  trade  that  is  more  perfect ;  one  that  is  more 
honest,  more  capable  and  more  self-sacrificing  than 
the  medical  profession,  with  all  its  faults. 

It  seems  that  every  art,  profession,  trade,  business 
or  vocation  to-day  is  far  from  ideal;  tainted  with 
crass  commercialism,  more  or  less,  and  the  medical 
profession  is  no  exception.  Just  as  long  as  the  bread 
and  butter  of  the  physician  depends  upon  the  sickness 
and  misery  of  the  people,  instead  of  on  their  health 
and  welfare,  as  it  should — and,  some  day,  will — just 
so  long  will  this  sad  state  of  affairs  continue  to 
exist.  It  really  becomes  a  social  or  economic  prob- 
lem. The  people  themselves  will  have  to  solve  it,  and 
will  solve  it  when  they  understand  it. 

THE  PHYSICIAN'S  CALLING  SHOULD  BE  ABOVE 
COMMERCIALISM 

The  noblest  calling  is  that  of  the  doctor.  In 
alleviating  sufferings,  in  assisting  nature  in  the  res- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  221 

toration  of  health,  he  is  the  greatest  benefactor  to 
mankind.  Such  a  calling  should  be  devoid  of  any 
incentive  to  exploitation.  It  should  be  different  from 
an  ordinary  matter  of  merchandise.  Lungs,  heart, 
intestines,  liver  and  spleen  should  not  be  sold  for  a 
price  or  be  put  on  the  "stock  exchange."  If  one 
burns  up  my  suit  of  clothes  or  sells  me  a  cotton  one 
for  a  woolen  one,  or  if  he  overcharges  me  for  that 
particular  commodity,  he  has  not  injured  my  health, 
happiness,  or  destiny.  But,  once  one  meddles  with 
my  liver,  removes  unnecessarily  any  internal  organ, 
or  ruins  my  heart,  digestive  system  or  breathing  ap- 
paratus, I  have  been  done  an  irreparable,  permanent 
injury — an  injury  that  results  in  loss,  not  only  to 
me,  but  to  my  dependents  and  to  the  state,  whose 
greatest  assets  should  be  a  healthy,  happy,  optimistic 
body  of  citizens. 

JEALOUSY  AN  ANCIENT  EVIL 

From  being  in  a  position  to  command,  direct,  per- 
suade or  influence  the  modus  vivendi  of  thousands, 
doctors  unconsciously  begin  to  feel  their  "superi- 
ority" to  others.  Eventually,  they  become  jealous 
or  envious  of  each  other.  Many  times  the  patient  is 
the  victim  as  a  result,  just  as  a  client  would  be  the 
sufferer  if  the  lawyers  should  settle  his  case  while 
playing  pinochle  or  poker. 

On  the  subject  of  "Medical  Ethics,"  the  late  Doc- 
tor A.  Jacobi,  in  "Reference  Handbook  of  The  Medi- 
cal Sciences,"  says: 

"Galen,  himself,  complained  of  having  suffered  much,  even 
physically,  from  the  jealousy  of  doctors.  The  relations  be- 
tween the  members  of  the  medical  profession  remained  bad 


222  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

through  centuries,  though  professional  leaders  and  governments 
tried  to  make  the  doctors  behave  like  gentlemen.  Through 
centuries,  statutes  of  associations,  faculties — for  instance,  those 
of  the  Chirurgeons  of  Paris,  A.  D.  1370,  the  barbers  of  Alsace, 
the  medical  faculties  of  Leipsic  (1309),  Cologne  (1392),  Vienna 
(1494) — refer  to  all  sorts  of  rebukes,  reprimands,  fines  and 
even  incarcerations  on  account  of  unethical  behavior.  Johannes 
Peter  Frank  was  so  disgusted  with  the  behavior  of  doctors, 
when  they  met  in  consultation,  as  to  advise  the  calling  in  of 
the  police  on  all  such  occasions. 

OW    TIME    REGULATIONS 

"The  history  of  what  may  be  styled  the  business  relations 
of  practitioners  is  quite  extensive.  No  'barber,'  chirurgeon, 
or  practitioner  was  entitled  to  take  a  case  which  was  under 
the  treatment  of  another,  unless  the  predecessor  was  notified, 
paid  and  decently  discharged.  The  large  number  of  regula- 
tions, orders,  and,  sometimes,  heavy  fines  emanating  from 
governments  and  faculties  prove  the  frequency  of  trans- 
gressions. 

"Consultations  were  always  frequent — either  desired  or 
feared.  Hippocrates  says  that  quacks  refuse  to  call  other 
practitioners  but  that  a  physician,  in  a  case  beset  with  diffi- 
culties and  dangers,  will  demand  the  presence  of  a  colleague 
without  any  injury  to  his  own  reputation.  Still,  the  anxiety 
of  the  patient  and  his  friends  overdid  the  practice  of  calling 
consultations.  Pliny  reports  that  the  monument  of  the  Em- 
peror Hadrian  was  inscribed  Turba  medicorum  perdidit 
Caesarem.  (The  large  number  of  doctors  killed  the  Emperor.) 
Henry  IV,  of  France,  calling  (1594)  upon  one  of  his  state 
officers  who  suffered  from  retention  of  urine,  found  him  sur- 
rounded by  sixteen  doctors." 


MEDICAL  SOCIETIES 

Even  in  the  twentieth  century  the  relationship  of 
medical  men  is  far  from  ideal.  A  great  deal  can  be 
said  regarding  the  medical  societies  themselves.  Not 
everybody  can  join.  They  are  like  any  fraternal 
lodge.  One  may  be  a  highly  respectable  physician, 
gentleman  and  citizen;  he  may  enjoy  a  good 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  223 

practice  and  the  good  will  of  thousands  of  people; 
he  may  be  one  who  is  honest  and  clean  morally,  physi- 
cally and  otherwise,  yet  he  may  not  always  be  able 
to  "get  in."  Why?  Well,  it  may  be  due  to  the 
fact  that  he  has  told  the  truth  too  openly.  It  may 
be  that  he  belongs  to  a  "different  school."  It  may 
be  because  he  is  feared,  because  he  knows  more.  It 
may  be  because  he  has  had  a  personal  misunderstand- 
ing with  an  influential  member.  Many  a  good  man 
is  kept  out  while  many  a  man  who  is  far  from  satis- 
factory is  a  member,  perhaps  one  of  the  leading  of- 
ficers. But,  of  course,  that  is  nothing  new  to  those 
who  belong  to  fraternities,  where  a  prospective  mem- 
ber may  be  "black-balled"  almost  any  time,  either 
because  a  prominent  member  of  the  clique  owes  the 
prospective  member  a  "ten-spot"  or  for  some  insig- 
nificant personal  reason,  or  despite  the  lack  of  good 
reason.  Such  is  the  justice  of  medical  and  other 
"fraternal"  societies  to-day. 

PRACTICAL  QUERIES 

Is  it  ethical  for  the  doctor  to  prescribe  proprie- 
tary or  patent  medicines  and  grumble  at  the  invasion 
of  patent  medicines? 

Is  it  ethical  for  the  doctor  to  assume  that  he  has 
a  mortgage  on  a  patient  so  that  he  dare  not  or  cannot 
make  a  change  in  his  medical  attendant  if  he  so 
desires? 

Is  it  ethical  to  say :  "What !  Dr.  So  and  So  was 
here  yesterday?  What  does  he  know  anyhow?  I  get 
his  patients  almost  every  day." 

Is  it  ethical  to  look  at  the  bottle  of  medicine  pre- 
scribed by  the  first  doctor,  or  at  the  capsules  left, 


224  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

and  then,  in  an  undertone :  "I  wouldn't  give  that  to 
a  dog."  Would  it  not  be  better  for  all  concerned 
if  the  doctor  said:  "Well,  Mrs.  Jones,  it  is  a  little 
hard  to  say  what  those  capsules,  or  the  bottle,  con- 
tain, but  I'm  sure  Dr.  So  and  So  has  done  the  right 
thing.  He  is  a  good  doctor,  but,  now  that  I'm  here, 
I'll  ask  you  to  follow  my  directions."  Isn't  it  best 
to  be  tolerant?  Why  not?  The  world  is  large 
enough  for  all;  and  life  is  too  short  to  waste  it  on 
abuse. 

THE    COMMISSION    PRACTICE 

The  relation  of  the  physician  to  the  pharmacist  is 
sometimes  looked  upon  with  suspicion,  even  to-day. 
The  "commission  or  split-fee"  tariff  has  become  quite 
an  alluring  one.  There  are  some  medical  men  who 
demand  commissions.  Commissions  are  asked  from, 
and  paid  by,  instrument  manufacturers,  truss  and 
bandage  makers,  druggists,  nurses  and  others.  Is 
this  ethical?  Who  pays  for  the  commissions?  The 
people,  especially  the  poor  people.  This  is  not  an 
unusual  but  a  common  practice.  In  New  York, 
medical  associations  and  public  hospitals  have  been 
obliged  to  brand  the  practice  as  a  gross  outrage  and 
they  have  even  threatened  the  transgressors  with  ex- 
pulsion. That  alone  proves  its  frequency.  In  spite 
of  this,  and  more  that  can  be  said,  the  teaching  of 
Ethics  in  the  medical  colleges  is  almost  totally 
neglected. 

AS    TO   ADVERTISING 

Personally,  I  never  have  adopted  newspaper  or 
similar  methods  of  advertising.  However,  I  am  toler- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  225 

ant  and  democratic  enough  to  extend  to  any  member 
of  the  medical  profession  the  privilege  of  advertising 
if  he  so  desires,  providing  that  there  are  no  exag- 
gerated claims,  lies,  or  fraud  in  the  contents  of  the 
advertisements.  If  he  merely  announces  his  specialty, 
or  has  his  professional  card  inserted  in  the  paper, 
it  means  little ;  he  merely  draws  attention  to  himself. 
Let  him  do  it  if  he  desires  and  do  not  hold  him  in 
contempt  for  that.  The  only  reliable  advertisement 
after  all  is  satisfaction  based  upon  conscientious 
service. 

A  great  deal  can  be  said  regarding  the  "ethics" 
of  announcing  the  doctor's  name  at  the  moving  pic- 
ture show  or  theater  as  "needed"  at  the  phone,  or 
the  announcement  in  the  press  of  the  leading  opera- 
tions performed  by  prominent  surgeons.  Much  can 
be  said  relative  to  the  prejudice  of  physicians  of  one 
school  to  those  of  others ;  of  the  inefficiency  of  medi- 
cal schools,  and  State  Board  examinations  in  deter- 
mining medical  competency;  of  clinics  and  so-called 
"free"  wards  in  hospitals.  It  behooves  every  truth- 
seeker  to  give  this  subject  further  study. 

THE  DOCTOR'S  POSITION 

Let  us  for  a  moment  consider  matters  from  the 
doctor's  standpoint.  Imagine  yourself  in  his  posi- 
tion. You  have  just  received  your  "sheepskin,"  after 
enduring  a  battle  with  your  mind  and  conscience  for 
a  number  of  years — from  four  to  seven.  You  are 
now  a  full-fledged  M.D.  and  as  proud  as  a  peacock. 
You  feel  as  if  you  know  everything,  from  the  size  of 
a  germ's  molar  to  that  of  the  diameter  of  a  camel's 


226  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

hump.  Still,  one  thing  is  beginning  to  bother  you 
and  your  folks,  that  is,  how  will  you  make  a  living? 
Where  will  you  hang  your  shingle? 

Unless  your  father  is  a  physician,  or  your  uncle  is 
still  willing  to  take  care  of  you  for  another  few 
years — although  tired  of  such  a  job  already — you 
will  have  to  start  out  on  your  own  initiative.  If  you 
locate  in  a  wealthy  neighborhood  and  happen  to  se- 
cure a  few  patients  there  (which  would  be  by  acci- 
dent) you  will  have  to  cater  to  their  whims  and 
fancies;  otherwise,  you  will  not  be  looked  upon  with 
much  favor.  You  must  not  insult  their  palates  by 
telling  them  to  eliminate  excessive  sweets;  to  sleep 
after  midnight;  to  take  more  exercise  and  the  like. 
In  other  words,  if  you  want  to  build  up  a  practice 
among  them  you  may  have  to  crush  your  conscience 
and  flatter  your  "silk-hose-brigade"  patients.  You 
may,  after  a  while,  begin  to  think:  "I  should  like 
to  keep  my  principles,  but  it  seems  that  my  principles 
won't  keep  me." 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  "commence"  among  the 
working  class  you  will  meet  the  cry  of  woe  and  the 
withered  hand  of  poverty.  You  will  see  the  babe  in 
its  mother's  arms,  not  dimpled  but  pale  and  emaci- 
ated. You  will  observe  the  dark  entrances  to  their 
"homes";  the  poor  illumination  at  night;  lack  of 
ventilation,  foul  air,  insanitary  toilets,  shabby 
clothes  and  filthy  rooms.  Your  heart  will  break  and 
a  tear  will  fall  when  you  take  a  reasonable  fee. 
And  yet,  if  you  don't,  how  will  you  pay  last  month's 
rent?  How  will  you  purchase  that  new  brass  cus- 
pidor or  desk  chair  you  looked  at  a  few  days  ago? 
And,  don't  forget,  you  need  a  new  suit.  To  make  a 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  227 

long  story  short,  you  will  soon  begin  to  feel  that  you 
are  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  blue  sea.  Then 
you  will  muster  up  a  little  more  courage,  charge 
regular  fees,  come  at  regular  times  and  become  a 
"real"  doctor,  like  the  rest  of  them. 

THE    PUBLIC    EESPONSIBILITY 

The  truth  is  that  the  public  does  not  treat  the 
doctors  right.  The  truth  is  that  the  public  itself  is 
responsible  for  much  unethical  procedure  there  is  in 
the  medical  profession.  The  truth  is,  further,  that 
the  public  never  has  even  begun  to  think  about  the 
vital  problem  of  medical  ethics  or  any  other  ethics. 
When  the  public  recovers  from  its  social  inertia  it 
will  be  established  that  the  doctors  shall  not  suffer 
because  the  health  of  the  community  is  good.  Peo- 
ple will  stop  being  so  blind  and  thoughtless  as  to 
give  the  doctor  a  pecuniary  interest  in  disease  while 
giving  him  little  or  no  interest  in  the  business  of  keep- 
ing them  well  and  in  good  health. 

Not  until  doctors  are  being  paid  for  keeping  us 
from  being  sick  and  not  until  their  existence,  com- 
fort, honorary  degrees  and  promotion  depend  upon 
our  being  healthy  instead  of  sick,  shall  we  have  less 
sickness,  more  happiness,  and  genuine  ethics. 


HAIR  AND  ITS  CARE 

Hair  grows  upon  the  human  body  as  the  plants 
grow  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  In  order  to 
have  luxuriant  and  beautiful  hair  one  must,  as  in 
all  things,  pay  the  price  in  some  form.  Just  as  the 
price  of  knowledge  is  study,  so  the  price  of  a  dan- 
druffless  head  of  hair  is  care,  consuming,  of  course, 
some  valuable  time  and  energy. 

BALDNESS 

Many  thousands  of  dollars  are  spent  annually  in 
"nursing  and  coaxing"  the  few  hairs  that  remain  to 
"stand  by  us"  and  in  trying  to  resurrect  a  few  ap- 
parently dead  hairs  by  artificial  compounds,  which, 
as  a  rule,  do  very  little  good,  except  to  the  manu- 
facturers and  vendors.  Thus  the  grim  and  relent- 
less battle  against  baldness  is  being  waged. 

CAUSES 

Among  the  causes  of  baldness  may  be  mentioned 
(1)  dandruff,  (2)  excessive  use  of  alkali  soaps  and 
water,  (3)  excessive  action  of  the  brain,  (4)  tight 
hats,  (5)  certain  fevers  and  diseases,  (6)  general 
low  vitality,  and  (7)  carelessness  on  the  part  of 
barbers. 

DANDBUFF 

Dandruff,  the  fine,  light  powder  which  lies  upon 

the  scalp,  obstructs  its  pores  and  prevents  the  hair 

228 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  229 

from  thriving.  It  is  usually  due  to  the  accumulation 
of  dirt  or  bodily  weakness.  In  order  to  rid  one's  self 
of  it  the  hair  must  be  intelligently  washed  and  cared 
for.  Dandruff  should  be  washed  out  and  brushed  out 
— never  combed  out.  In  fact,  the  fine-tooth  comb  as 
used  by  many  is  a  bad  practice,  as  it  irritates  the 
scalp.  The  fine-tooth  comb  is  only  of  service  when 
children  are  infested  with  head  parasites. 

WASHING  THE  HAIR 

As  to  washing  the  hair,  many  methods  are  sug- 
gested and  various  formulas  are  recommended  that 
can  be  employed  with  safety  and  which  should  be 
changed  from  time  to  time,  according  to  circum- 
stances and  results  desired.  One  reliable  process  is 
to  dissolve  about  half  a  cake  of  some  good  soap  in 
a  bowl  or  basin  of  tepid  water,  and  then  continuously 
part  the  hair  and  rub  vigorously  on  the  parted  area 
with  a  small  brush  dipped  in  the  soapy  water.  Keep 
on  making  new  partings  and  rubbing  them  in  the 
same  manner.  After  this  "washing,  parting  and  rub- 
bing exercise"  has  been  gone  through,  empty  the 
bowl  or  basin,  fill  it  again  with  water  and  put  in  the 
other  half  of  the  cake  of  soap  until  dissolved.  Then 
repeat  washing  of  hair,  rubbing  with  the  fingers  in- 
stead of  the  brush.  Next  rinse  the  hair  thoroughly 
until  the  water,  rinsed  from  the  hair,  appears  per- 
fectly clean.  Remember:  "Whatever  is  worth  do- 
ing is  worth  doing  well." 

The  drying  processes  of  the  hair  are  of  no  less  im- 
portance than  the  washing.  The  drying  by  funnel 
heat  as  in  crimping  makes  the  hair  brittle  and  cracks 
it.  And  if  it  is  dried  by  means  of  cold  air,  neuralgia 


230  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

or  "a  cold"  may  result.  The  Turkish  towel  rub,  to 
begin  with,  is  as  good  as  any  procedure,  for  it  re- 
moves the  dripping  moisture  from  the  washed  hair. 
Then  the  tips  of  the  fingers  should  become  the  real 
drying  agencies,  exercising  every  bit  of  the  scalp 
until  it  is  dry.  This  finger  manipulation  electrifies 
and  produces  a  good  flow  of  blood  to  the  hair  roots. 

As  to  the  brushing,  it  should  be  done  thoroughly. 
What  constitutes  correct  brushing  is  also  a  matter 
of  importance.  There  seems  to  be  a  tendency  on 
the  part  of  many  women  to  brush  excessively,  which 
only  drags  upon  the  hair  and  loosens  its  roots. 
About  thirty  strokes  of  the  brush  are  usually  con- 
sidered sufficient.  A  good  rule  to  remember  is  "less 
brushing  and  more  massaging."  This  is  especially 
so  with  those  whose  hair  is  thinning. 

After  the  hair  has  been  sufficiently  brushed  it 
should  be  given  a  dry  massage.  The  pressure  of  the 
fingers  on  the  sebaceous  glands  causes  them  to  yield 
and  release  an  oil  which  softens  and  nourishes  hair 
growth.  And  right  here  a  great  secret  may  be  re- 
vealed, namely,  that  the  most  important  cause  of 
baldness  is  an  anatomical  one — lack  of  fat  on  the  top 
of  the  head.  This  cushion  of  fat  between  the  scalp 
and  the  bony  tables  of  the  skull  is  the  nutritive  or 
fertile  soil  from  which  the  hair  roots  and  follicles  re- 
ceive their  life-producing  activity  and  appearance. 
The  amount  of  hair,  its  permanency  and  luster  all 
depend  upon  the  thickness  of  this  fatty  layer — this 
movable  scalp.  And  last  but  not  least,  the  hair  needs 
sunshine  and  air  and  rest.  It  should  always  remain 
loose  and  hanging  except  when  you  leave  the  home, 
when,  of  course,  most  of  us  are  victims  of  false 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  231 

modesty  and  slaves  to  fashion,  otherwise  known  as 
convention. 

DISEASE   AFFECTS   THE    HAIR 

Certain  fevers,  such  as  typhoid,  typhus,  and  in- 
fluenza (the  grippe),  bring  heavy  drains  on  the 
reserve  forces  or  areas  of  stored  energy  during  a 
decline  and  in  convalescing  states.  At  this  time  this 
protective  fat  pad  on  top  of  the  head  is  imposed 
upon  and  the  hair  bulbs  are  choked  to  death.  Syph- 
ilis and  other  impure  blood  derangements  cause  fall- 
ing of  the  hair  in  certain  areas  of  the  head  or  all 
over  the  hair-growing  regions. 

OTHER    DANGERS 

Alkali  soaps  and  water  from  the  hydrant  which 
contains  various  mineral  matters  have  a  tendency 
to  irritate  the  scalp,  make  the  hair  loose  and  brittle 
at  the  roots,  so  that  eventually  it  falls  out.  The 
problem  of  soaps  is  a  greater  one  than  one  would 
ordinarily  believe.  It  sometimes  aggravates  the  al- 
ready irritated  condition.  Soaps  made  of  sperma- 
ceti are  good.  Tincture  of  green  soap  is  another 
reliable  preparation,  and  so  is  Castile  soap.  Cas- 
tile soap  and  water,  or  borax  and  water  containing 
a  little  distilled  extract  of  witch  hazel  make  excellent 
hair  washes.  As  with  other  preparations,  the  hair 
should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  with  clear  water  after 
washing. 

TIGHT   HATS 

Tight  hats,  or  air-tight  hats  as  they  are  sometimes 
termed,  are  classed  as  one  of  the  causes  of  baldness. 


232  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

The  author  holds  with  those  who  believe  it  to  be  a 
contributing  factor,  for  after  all  it  does  not  allow 
free  passage  of  air  through  the  hair  on  top  of  the 
head.  It  also  prevents  the  sun's  rays  from  exercis- 
ing their  soothing  influence  on  the  scalp.  All  life 
needs  heat,  air  and  moisture^  In  general,  wear  a 
hat  as  little  as  possible.  Further,  the  fewer  pins, 
combs,  pencils,  "rats"  and  other  artificial  electro- 
negative and  electro-positive  supports  (crutches  and 
ornaments)  there  are  in  the  hair,  the  better  for  the 
hair. 

CAEELESSNESS  OF  BARBEES 

On  the  carelessness  of  barbers  a  chapter  can  be 
written.  Some  of  them  are  careless  not  only  with 
towels,  their  hands,  finger-nails  and  the  like,  but  in 
the  care  of  their  combs  and  brushes,  which  is  con- 
ducive to  various  eruptions,  dandruff  and  baldness. 
Most  of  their  "hair  tonics"  are  harmful  and  in- 
crease the  loss  of  hair.  We  need  the  barber,  and  we 
should  pay  him  well  for  services,  but  his  services 
should  be  under  absolutely  sanitary  conditions.  The 
patron  of  the  barber  shop  should  see  to  it  that  the 
brushes,  combs,  clippers  and  other  such  "weapons" 
employed  there  be  clean,  dried  and  heated,  and  kept 
that  way.  Better  still,  have  a  certain  barber  attend 
you  every  time  and  let  him  keep  for  your  exclusive 
use  your  own  paid-for  brush,  comb,  clipper,  razor 
and  cup.  In  the  "long  run"  it  will  cost  less  than 
paying  a  doctor's  bill,  and  why  look  for  bargains 
when  it  comes  to  health?  We  can  never  pay  too 
much  for  good  service.  Further,  at  home  at  no  time 
should  any  member  of  a  family  use  the  comb  or  brush 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  233 

of  others,  any  more  than  he  would  borrow  a  tooth- 
brush or  a  toothpick. 

MENTAL  EXERTION 

Excessive  action  of  the  brain,  such  as  intense 
study,  great  mental  anxiety,  and  the  like,  which  pro- 
duce abnormal  heat  of  the  brain  surfaces  seems  to 
be  classified  as  a  cause  of  falling  hair;  and  yet,  judg- 
ing from  some  of  those  we  know,  it  would  seem  that 
just  the  opposite  were  true — that  it  is  due  to  a  lack 
of  sufficient  flow  of  blood  in  the  brain  as  a  result 
of  little  or  no  study  and  not  too  much  thinking;  in 
other  words,  mental  inertia. 

General  bodily  weakness  is  after  all  the  primary 
factor  in  paving  the  way  for  baldness.  In  fact,  low 
vitality  makes  one  susceptible  to  almost  all  abnormal 
conditions  or  diseases.  As  a  preventive  one  should 
so  live  that  his  vitality  will  never  register  "below 
par." 


MUSIC— AN  AID  TO  HEALTH 

Music  is  the  language  of  the  soul,  and  what  a 
wonderful  language  it  is!  Music  vibrates  through 
man's  being  and  rouses  him  to  a  higher  and  nobler 
life.  It  has  been  said  that  the  opera  is  one  of  man's 
best  inspirations.  It  acts  as  an  invigorating  psychic 
tonic.  It  revitalizes  and  stimulates  the  organs  of 
the  body  so  that  they  function  more  normally.  It 
soothes  the  sick  and  stimulates  the  well;  and  besides, 
it  instructs  and  entertains. 

ABILITY  TO  APPRECIATE  MUSIC 

Sometimes  it  seems  as  though  one  who  does  not 
feel  better  after  hearing  some  of  the  inspiring  and 
magnetic  songs  sung  in  such  operas  as  "Aida,"  "La 
Boheme,"  "Carmen,"  "Pagliacci,"  "Rigoletto," 
"Samson  and  Delilah"  and  others  is  undergoing 
either  brain  shrinkage  or  ossification  of  the  heart. 
Further,  any  one  who  does  not  eat  better,  sleep  bet- 
ter and  work  better  after  hearing  Mme.  Amelita 
Galli-Curci  sing  such  numbers  as  "La  Capinera," 
"Romeo  et  Juliet,"  "Solvejg's  Song"  and  "Lucia-Hi 
Dolce  Suono"  would  certainly  need  treatment;  such 
a  person  must  have  some  anatomical  or  physiological 
disturbances  or  defects.  And  yet,  setting  aside  prej- 
udice and  fanaticism,  we  cannot  blame  those  who 
never  had  the  proper  opportunity  to  appreciate 

opera  or  other  sorts  of  music.    Can  we  be  angry  with 

234 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  235 

those  who  have  eyes  that  see  not,  and  ears  that  hear 
not?  Their  eyes  are  full  of  sand  and  tears,  their 
ears  are  full  of  wax.  How  can  they  be  blamed? 
It  is  our  duty  all  the  more  to  sympathize  with  and 
help  those  whose  condition  is  worse  than  ours.  We 
are  all  products  of  environment,  hence  we  should  not 
be  quick  to  condemn  or  belittle  those  whose  lives 
are  too  weary  and  dreary  to  develop  the  best  that  is 
in  them.  (Read  "Social  Conscience,"  by  Adam  Abet, 
Cooperative  Publishing  Company,  Inc.) 

THE   "MOVIES"   AND    COMMON   AIBS 

It  seems  that  the  rank  and  file  of  the  people  will 
never  be  much  better  off  until  they  think  enough  of 
themselves  to  begin  appreciating  music,  art  and 
general  culture.  Let  us  hope  that  the  time  will  yet 
come  when  most  people  will  utilize  their  limited  time 
in  reading  genuine  history,  philosophy,  literature 
and  scientific  works ;  a  time  when  they  will  love  good 
music  more  and  baseball  less;  when  they  will  love 
music  and  all  art  and  nature ;  a  time,  in  other  words, 
when  they  will  have  an  opportunity  to  understand 
and  admire  the  opera  instead  of  the  "rattling,  hum- 
ming and  buzzing"  of  the  saloon  organ  (now  stylish 
at  some  restaurants  and  confectionery  stores)  which 
responds  to  the  "nickel  in  the  slot."  This  can  be 
summed  up  thus:  May  the  time  come  when  they 
will  not  blister  their  hands  nor  raise  bunions  on 
their  feet  by  applauding  a  "rag  song"  or  "jig  dance" 
in  the  name  of  music,  and  at  the  same  time  remark, 
"Opera  is  Greek  to  me."  Unfortunately  the  aver- 
age man's  opera  or  musical  storehouse  is  the 
"movie."  Although  the  "movie"  has  its  field  of  use- 


236  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

fulness  and  should  be  patronized,  for  many  a  good 
lesson  is  taught  there,  nevertheless  it  differs  from 
and  will  never  take  the  place  of  the  real  opera,  in 
which  the  higher  attributes  of  mankind  are  so  nobly 
expressed. 

PHYSIOLOGICAL  EFFECTS   OF   MUSIC 

All  music  lovers  know  that  music,  when  properly 
applied,  is  an  aid  to  health.     It  will  promote  diges- 
tive functions,  strengthen  the  breathing  apparatus 
(diaphragm,  lungs  and  bronchial  tubes),  relieve  fa- 
tigue and  give  grace  to  the  movements  of  the  body. 
Folks  with  an  irritating  temper  can  be  calmed,  the 
melancholic  roused  and  the  insane  soothed  by  the 
healing  power  of  music.     It  will  help  bring  to  the 
surface  the  poet,  writer,  sculptor  and  musician  in  a 
person.     The  melody  of  the  music  will  make  you 
either  glad  or  sad.     It  will  contract  or  relax  your 
muscular,  vascular  and  nervous  system,  thereby  ton- 
ing the  liver,  stomach,  intestines  and  other  internal 
organs.     It  can  make  you  laugh,  cry,  shriek,  sway 
or  march ;  all  depending  on  how  attuned  your  nature 
is  and  what  receptive  mood  you  may  happen  to  be 
in  at  the  time  when  listening  to  the  music.     It  is 
understood,   of  course,   that  one   type   or  class   of 
music  may  be  more  appealing  to  one  patient  than 
another,  just  as  diet  and  labor  cannot  be  alike  for 
persons  of  different  temperament  and  different  phys- 
ical development.    The  physical,  mental  and  psychic 
states  of  a  person,  plus  general  environment,  must 
determine  largely  the  kind  of  music  and  length  of 
time  for  its  administration. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  237 

A   FEW    LLLUSTEATIONS 

Vvt-  will  assume  a  few  definite  cases.  Let  us  say 
you  need  a  stimulant,  you  need  to  be  aroused,  your 
brain  cells  do  not  yield  clear  thought,  and  your 
thoughts  are  hazy ;  then  you  should  immediately  hear 
such  musical  numbers  as  Tschaikowsky's  "The  Tem- 
pest Overture,"  or  Mendelssohn's  "Fingals  Cave." 
It  will  surpass  any  "I.  Q.  and  S."  tonic  on  the 
shelves  of  the  apothecary  shop.  Try  it.  Or  it  may 
happen  that  you  feel  "all  in,"  as  the  saying  goes; 
you  have  worked  hard  and  are  tired  from  the  day's 
turmoil — the  bivouac  of  life — yet  you  are  restless 
and  suffer  from  insomnia.  In  such  cases  one  of  the 
best  "prescriptions"  may  be  the  "Volga  Boat  Song," 
"My  Heart  at  Thy  Sweet  Voice,"  "M'Appari  Tutt 
Amor,"  and  other  such  restful,  soothing  numbers. 
These  would  "rock  you  to  sleep"  with  more  safety 
than  would  narcotic  drugs,  which,  if  taken  continu- 
ously, usually  result  in  an  abnormal  craving  which 
eventually  wreck  nerves,  destroy  ambition  and  lower 
vitality.  How  much  more  wholesome  and  health- 
producing  substitute  would  be  the  scientific  adminis- 
tration of  musical  prescriptions? 

SINGING 

The  act  of  singing  is  a  great  aid  to  health.  Good 
singing  implies  correct  standing  and  breathing.  It 
helps  develop  the  organs  of  the  chest  and  makes  one 
feel  better  generally.  We  should  have  more  singing 
exercises  in  the  schools.  Industrial  establishments 
should  be  conducted  so  scientifically  and  humanely 


238  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

that  once  or  twice  daily  a  few  minutes  (at  least) 
should  be  devoted  to  popular  singing,  accompanied 
by  an  orchestra.  What's  more,  the  industrial  con- 
ditions ought  to  be  so  good  that  those  who  work  in 
them  will  desire  singing  and  enjoy  it.  Why  should 
not  all  who  work  be  happy?  Would  it  be  imprac- 
tical to  love  music  and  be  more  content? 

MUSIC   IN   SANATOEIUMS  AND   HOSPITALS 

Sanatoriums,  hospitals,  homes  for  the  incurable 
and  other  health  institutes  should  have  musical  pro- 
grams as  part  of  their  schedule,  as  it  would  not  only 
cheer  and  give  hope,  but  it  would  also  aid  materially 
an  early  recovery.  The  violin  and  piano  should  be 
as  much  in  evidence  at  a  hospital  as  is  now  the  in- 
strument cabinet  and  operating  table.  In  fact,  the 
greater  the  utilization  of  one,  the  less  need  there  is 
for  the  other.  And  why  not  have  music  in  alms- 
houses  and  jails  of  the  country?  It  would  help  those 
social  victims  to  gain  strength  and  self-control,  which 
would  enable  them  to  persistently  stand  for  right 
things  after  they  leave  the  institution. 

MUSIC  WHILE  TBAVELING 

Why  not  have  music  for  travelers  on  the  trains 
and  ferry  boats,  as  well  as  on  steamships?  Then 
traveling  would  be  less  monotonous  and  the  passen- 
gers would  enjoy  and  digest  their  food  better.  A 
healthy,  contented  and  cheerful  citizen  is  an  asset  to 
the  public,  whereas  a  sickly,  discontented  and  gloomy 
citizen  is  a  liability.  If  that  be  the  case,  why  should 
we  not  do  everything  in  our  power  to  promote  the 
good  of  all?  And  if  music  in  public  (and  private) 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  239 

places  will  help  even  a  little  in  that  direction  let  us 
have  it.  Is  it  asking  too  much  when  we  know  it 
will  give  cheer  and  comfort  and  aid  in  health? 

PiLAYEE  PIANO  TO  BE  BUILT  IN  EVEEY  MODEEN  HOUSE 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  suggest  that  a  player 
piano  be  built  in  every  modern  home,  just  as  the  stove 
or  furnace  is.  Let  it  be  as  much  a  part  of  the  flat 
as  are  the  shelves,  the  ceiling  or  the  floor.  Why 
should  not  modern  homes  be  built  for  comfort  instead 
of  rent?  A  player  piano  built  in  every  home,  or  the 
permanent  addition  of  a  self -playing  automatic  musi- 
cal instrument  of  any  kind,  would  be  a  great  preven- 
tive of  dyspepsia,  with  which  we  Americans  are  so 
afflicted. 

"MEDICINE"  THEOUGH  EAES  AND  NEEVES 

A  time  may  yet  come  when  doctors  will  prescribe  a 
certain  number  of  minutes  or  hours  of  music ;  for  in- 
stance, certain  appropriate  numbers  every  three  or 
four  hours.  It  may  become  necessary  to  prescribe 
one  kind  of  numbers  before  or  after  meals,  and  an 
entirely  different  selection  of  numbers  upon  retiring 
or  at  the  appearance  of  certain  symptoms,  such  as 
pain,  irritability  or  insomnia.  It  is  possible  that  the 
doctor — a  musical  expert — may  prescribe  the  hear- 
ing of  vocal  solos  under  one  circumstance  and  instru- 
mental ones  under  another.  And  what  is  more,  these 
"prescriptions"  could  easily  be  "filled"  on  the  player 
piano  or  phonograph.  In  fact,  they  could  be  filled 
by  members  of  the  family  or  by  the  trained  nurse — a 
musician.  The  patient  will  not  be  able  to  complain 
of  "how  bitter"  this  medicine  tastes.  It  will  not  be 


240  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

taken  by  teaspoons,  but  will  be  absorbed  through  the 
ears  and  nerves.  Would  it  not  be  wonderful?  Yes, 
musical  prescriptions  will  some  day  be  a  reality ; 
the  sooner  the  better — for  the  people. 


EMERGENCIES  AND  THE  EMERGENCY 
CHEST 

Emergencies  and  accidents  occur  more  frequently 
than  we  realize.  Fatal  results  often  follow  accidents 
because  professional  aid  was  not  quickly  obtainable. 
Although  it  is  advisable  to  call  an  expert  in  most 
emergencies,  yet  it  becomes  a  very  important  matter 
to  have  an  "Emergency  Knowledge"  and  be  pre- 
pared for  emergencies  by  having  in  every  home  an 
"Emergency  Chest,"  where  various  essential  items 
are  kept  on  hand.  It  is  strange  how  people  will  be 
willing  to  spend  ten  dollars  or  a  hundred  dollars 
during  an  emergency,  how  they  will  want  to  call  five 
doctors  at  one  time,  yet  will  not  have  forethought 
enough  to  spend  a  dollar  to  have  a  few  rolls  of  ad- 
hesive plaster,  a  pound  of  cotton,  a  jar  of  vaseline 
or  an  atomizer  on  hand.  No  wonder  we  physicians 
and  also  the  undertakers  are  kept  so  busy. 

WOUNDS 

Wounds  may  be  classified  as  incised,  punctured, 
contused,  lacerated  and  poisoned.  Incised  wounds 
are  those  produced  with  a  cutting  instrument  such 
as  a  knife.  Punctured  wounds  are  those  produced 
by  a  pointed  instrument.  Contused  wounds  are 
those  produced  by  bruises.  Lacerated  wounds  are 
those  in  which  the  flesh  is  torn.  Poisoned  wounds 

are  those  produced  by  some  poisonous  reptile,  in- 

241 


242  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

sect,  rabid  animal,  or  by  some  poisonous  instrument. 

In  all  cases  of  wounds  the  immediate  danger  is 
usually  the  shock  produced  on  the  nervous  system, 
and  in  the  possibility  of  hemorrhage. 

To  overcome  shock  the  clothing  should  be  loosened 
to  allow  free  circulation,  and  the  patient  kept  in  a 
comfortable  position.  Provide  plenty  of  fresh  air. 
External  heat  by  means  of  massage  or  electricity  is 
sometimes  of  great  benefit. 

Hemorrhage  or  bleeding  is  usually  controlled  by 
compresses,  styptics,  tourniquet,  and  flexion  of  the 
joint.  One  of  the  best  styptics  is  collodion,  which 
can  be  freely  applied  to  a  bleeding  wound.  Extreme 
cold  or  heat  serves  well.  Powdered  alum  is  a  won- 
derful yet  simple  and  handy  check  for  bleeding  ex- 
ternally ;  so  is  a  strong  solution  of  tea.  For  internal 
bleeding,  suck  ice ;  keep  perfectly  quiet. 

In  all  poisoned  wounds  the  aim  should  be  to  im- 
mediately clean  the  tissues  involved  and  prevent 
further  spread  of  the  poison.  Apply  a  bandage 
above  the  wound,  which  must  then  be  thoroughly 
cleaned  or  cauterized.  For  the  stings  of  insects 
(see  under  heading  "Poisons  and  Their  Immediate 
Antidotes")  apply  ammonia  water,  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine or  salt  water.  For  spider  bites,  catnip  or 
plaintain  leaf  is  considered  a  home  remedy  of  marked 
value.  For  mosquito  bites  wash  the  affected  areas 
with  a  solution  of  lemon  juice.  The  rubbing  of  soap 
on  the  hands  before  retiring  is  a  good  prevention. 
Nettle  stings  are  soothed  by  the  application  of  rose- 
mary, balm  or  mint,  sage  leaves  or  any  other  aro- 
matic herb.  Flea  bites  will  be  soothed  by  the  appli- 
cation of  moistened  soda.  Bee,  wasp,  hornet  or  other 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  243 

such  stings  can  be  relieved  by  bathing  and  binding 
on  the  parts  a  strong  solution  of  equal  parts  of 
salt  and  baking  powder  or  saleratus. 

SPRAINS  AND  BRUISES 

Sprains  are  sudden  and  forcible  stretchings  of  lig- 
aments or  tendons.  As  a  rule,  pain  and  swelling  de- 
velop. Bruises  are  caused  by  falls  or  "blows"  from 
blunt  instruments  which  do  not  break  the  skin.  The 
tissues  underneath  the  skin  are  so  disturbed  that 
blood  is  poured  out  into  them  producing  discolora- 
tion. In  bruises  as  well  as  in  sprains  the  main  thing 
to  do  is  give  rest  and  relief  to  the  painful  parts. 
Fomentations  and  poultices  are  useful.  A  strong 
tincture  of  cayenne  pepper,  with  an  equal  part  of 
glycerine,  applied,  removes  discoloration. 

BURNS  AND  SCALDS 

The  danger  that  may  arise  from  burns  and  scalds 
depends  not  only  upon  the  extent  of  surface  but  the 
depth  of  the  burn  as  well.  Soothing,  air-tight  appli- 
cations are  the  most  desirable.  Among  the  many 
methods  employed  for  relieving  and  healing  burns 
and  scalds  are:  1.  Lime  water;  2.  Equal  parts  of 
lime  water  and  linseed  oil;  3.  Two  ounces  of  alum 
in  one  pint  of  hot  water  dissolved,  saturating  cotton 
cloths  with  this  solution;  4.  Strong  solution  of  bak- 
ing soda  applied;  5.  Collodion  painted  over  slight 
burns ;  6.  Common  indigo  bluing  applied  with  cloth ; 
7.  Kerosene  oil  is  now  being  used  with  wonderful  re- 
sults ;  8.  A  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  (diluted)  on 
a  cloth;  9.  Poultices  of  slippery  elm  or  grated 
potato. 


244  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

FAINTING 

In  a  case  of  fainting  always  place  the  patient  in  a 
horizontal  position,  with  his  head  as  low,  or  even 
lower,  than  the  body.  Remove  everything  tight  from 
around  the  throat  and  chest.  Sprinkle  cold  water 
over  the  face,  neck  and  chest;  wipe  it  off  and  rub 
limbs  with  your  hands  and  slap  the  skin  (some  au- 
thorities differ  as  to  this  method).  Fresh  air,  am- 
monia or  camphor,  if  at  hand,  should  be  applied  to 
the  nostrils.  Keep  the  feet  in  warm  water.  This 
has  helped  in  stubborn  cases.  In  lifting  or  moving 
a  person  when  in  a  fainting  condition  always  keep 
the  head  lower  than  the  body. 

FOREIGN   BODIES  IN  THE  EYES 

As  a  rule  it  is  very  easy  to  remove  foreign  bodies 
from  the  eye.  If  the  foreign  matter  is  beneath  the 
lower  lid,  the  lid  should  be  drawn  down,  the  patient 
should  look  upward,  so  as  to  enable  the  one  removing 
the  substance  to  do  so  easily  by  means  of  a  match, 
toothpick  or  pin,  covered  with  a  clean,  soft  cambric 
or  silk  handkerchief.  If  the  substance  is  beneath 
the  upper  lid  it  can  be  removed  by  first  taking  hold 
of  the  eyelash  and  gently  raising  the  edge  of  the  lid 
wide,  in  the  meantime  pressing  and  moving  the  cov- 
ered match  on  the  inner  surface  of  the  lid  removing 
the  substance.  Sometimes  the  corner  of  a  dry,  clean 
handkerchief  will  answer  the  purpose.  Lifting  the 
upper  lid  and  pulling  it  over  the  lower  one  is  a  simple 
and  wholesome  method.  The  eye  should  never  be 
rubbed.  A  few  drops  of  warm  water  may  be  placed 
in  the  eye  by  means  of  an  eye-dropper. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  245 

FOEEIGN    BODIES   IN   THE   NOSE 

Children  are  very  apt  to  put  beads,  coffee  grains, 
peas,  buttons  and  small  stones  in  the  nostrils.  If 
these  are  allowed  to  remain  inflammation,  swelling 
and  suffering  may  result.  Keeping  the  head  lowered 
is  advisable.  The  patient  should  be  warned  not  to 
sniff  inward.  Sometimes  a  pinch  of  snuff  or  ground 
pepper  to  induce  sneezing  is  good,  keeping  the  mouth 
and  the  opposite  nostril  closed.  Slow  syringing  with 
salt  water  may  dislodge  the  substance. 

FOREIGN   BODIES  IN    THE  EAB 

It  is  safer,  as  a  rule,  to  use  a  small  syringe  and 
warm  water  than  forceps.  If  an  insect  makes  its  way 
into  the  ear,  deluge  it  with  sweet  oil  or  drop  warm 
water  into  the  ear  by  means  of  a  sponge  if  no  syringe 
is  at  hand. 

;     •- 
FOREIGN   BODIES   IN   THE   THROAT 

The  patient  should  remain  seated  while  the  oper- 
ator pushes  his  finger  down  the  throat  as  far  as  pos- 
sible in  an  endeavor  to  reach  and  dislodge  the  sub- 
stance. It  may  become  necessary  to  turn  the  patient 
upside  down  in  order  to  dislodge  the  foreign  body. 
In  the  case  of  a  fish  bone  stuck  in  the  throat,  it  may 
at  times  be  dislodged  by  eating  something. 

A   BLACK  EYE 

Apply  a  cloth,  rung  out  of  very  hot  water,  over 
the  region  of  darkened  area  for  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  in  succession.  Almost  any  bruise  will  yield 


246  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

to  such  treatment.     Tincture  of  arnica  is  sometimes 
used  to  remove  soreness. 

BLEEDING  OF  THE  NOSE 

The  application  of  ice  or  cold  water  to  the  neck, 
forehead  or  back  will  sometimes  give  relief.  Ice  or 
cold  water  in  the  bleeding  nostrils  will  check  bleed- 
ing; hot  water  will  act  the  same  way.  In  obstinate 
cases,  blow  a  little  gum-arabic  powder  or  powdered 
alum  up  the  nostrils  through  a  quill.  The  nose  may 
be  plugged  with  absorbent  cotton  or  gauze.  It  may 
be  plugged  with  a  piece  of  gauze  saturated  with  tinc- 
ture of  hamamelis.  Pinching  the  nostrils  may  be  of 
service.  The  sucking  up  of  a  little  tincture  of  iron 
by  means  of  a  small  syringe  may  check  the  bleeding. 
A  solution  of  tannic  acid  is  very  efficacious  many 
times. 

INFANTILE  CONVULSIONS 

The  immediate  treatment  of  infantile  convulsions 
depends  largely  upon  the  cause.  In  an  emergency 
the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  give  the  infant  an  enema 
composed  of  a  warm  soapy  mixture.  For  quicker 
results  insert  a  glycerine  suppository  in  the  rectum. 
A  piece  of  soap  carved  for  this  purpose  will  do  as 
well.  After  the  bowel  is  emptied,  then  apply  warm 
applications  over  region  of  abdomen,  or  better  still, 
give  a  warm  bath — sometimes  a  mustard  bath.  If 
the  child  seems  exhausted,  gently  massage  its  spine 
with  cold  water.  If  the  child  suffers  as  a  result  of 
having  irritable  food  in  its  stomach,  it  is  best  to  pro- 
duce vomiting  by  means  of  warm  salt  water.  If  the 
convulsions  are  due  to  inability  to  void  urine,  hot 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  247 

flaxseed  poultices  over  region  of  the  bladder  may  be 
imposed. 

THE  EMEEGENCY  CHEST 

Every  home  should  have  an  "Emergency  Chest." 
The  up-to-date  homes  of  the  future  will  have  them 
built  in,  scientifically,  as  are  to-day  the  furnace  and 
the  electric  fixtures.  Among  the  many  items  that 
every  "emergency  chest"  should  contain  may  be  men- 
tioned the  following:  Cotton,  adhesive  plaster, 
gauze,  gauze  bandage,  Turkish  towels,  table  salt, 
mustard,  cinnamon,  tincture  of  iodine,  powdered 
alum,  boric  acid,  baking  soda,  collodion,  glycerine, 
carbolic  acid,  tincture  of  arnica,  flaxseed  meal,  ex- 
tract of  witch  hazel,  grain  alcohol,  lime  water,  lin- 
seed oil,  olive  oil,  kerosene  oil,  glycerine  suppositories 
(adult  and  infant),  camphor,  ammonia,  tourniquet, 
ice  cap,  rubber  water  bag,  atomizer,  zinc  oxide  oint- 
ment, vaseline,  eye-dropper,  syringes,  forceps,  scis- 
sors, spoons  and  tumblers. 


PRINCIPAL  POISONS  AND  THEIR 
IMMEDIATE  ANTIDOTES 

There  are  thousands  of  substances  other  than 
those  usually  classified  as  poisons  that  are  capable 
of  causing  death  when  taken  into  the  human  system. 
Many  of  the  adulterated  foods  and  incompatible  mix- 
tures of  food  we  eat  daily  create  large  quantities  of 
toxins  or  poisonous  extracts.  These  eventually  man- 
ifest themselves  in  sudden  or  early  death  through 
the  medium  of  fever  diseases,  as  influenza  and  pneu- 
monia. The  continual  inhalation  of  irritable  fumes 
in  various  industrial  plants  has  caused  gradual 
poisoning  of  the  vital  organs  of  the  body,  paving 
the  way  for  disability  and  untimely  deaths.  The 
same  holds  true  of  various  occupations,  such  as  those 
of  painters,  typesetters,  granite  workers,  and  the 
like. 

WHAT  TO  DO  FIEST 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  the  ordinary  case  of  pois- 
oning is  to  produce  vomiting.  The  next  thing  is  to 
call  for  a  doctor.  The  third  thing  is  to  give  some 
antidote  or  neutralizing  agency  to  destroy  the  action 
of  the  poison.  The  vomiting  is  generally  produced 
by  drinking  a  large  quantity  of  warm  water,  then 
tickling  the  throat  with  a  feather  or  the  finger.  If 
vomiting  does  not  take  place  within  a  very  reasonable 
length  of  time,  a  tablespoonful  of  powdered  mustard 

in  a  glass  of  warm  water  should  be  given.     A  tea- 

248 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  249 

spoonful  of  zinc  sulphate  in  a  half  glass  of  warm 
water  or  a  teaspoonful  of  ipecac  in  the  same  quantity 
of  water  may  be  tried.  If  a  stomach  pump  is  at 
hand,  and  you  find  a  person  who  can  use  it  effec- 
tively, employ  it. 

As  a  rule,  when  such  symptoms  as  pain,  purging 
and  vomiting  occur,  fresh  milk,  the  white  of  egg, 
magnesia,  chalk,  sweet  oil  or  other  oils  are  given. 
When  such  symptoms  as  delirium  and  sleepiness  are 
caused,  vomiting  agencies  (mustard,  salt,  zinc  sul- 
phate, ipecac  and  the  like)  and  stimulants  such  as 
strong  coffee  and  camphor  should  be  employed  and 
the  patient  should  be  kept  awake.  If  the  poison  is 
unknown,  give  such  preparations  as  magnesia,  chalk 
or  charcoal,  equal  parts,  mixed  in  warm  water  and 
followed  by  sweet  oil. 

POISONS    AND    THEIK,    IMMEDIATE    ANTIDOTES 

Absinthe — Evacuate  the  stomach  (vomiting  or 
stomach  pump)  ;  give  flaxseed  tea  freely,  stimulate. 

Alcohol — Evacuate  stomach;  alternate  cold  and 
hot  douches;  apply  external  heat  (massage  or  elec- 
tricity). 

Ammonia — Diluted  vinegar  or  acetic  acid;  lemon 
juice;  linseed  or  almond  oils. 

Arsenic  and  Its  Compounds,  such  as  Paris  Green, 
Scheeles  Green,  Arsenical  Soaps  and  Pastes,  Fly 
Powder,  Kings  Yellow,  Red  Sulphuret  of  Arsenic, 
Yellow  Sulphuret  of  Arsenic  and  White  Arsenic,  give 
plenty  of  milk  freely,  or  oils,  fats,  lard  and  melted 
butter  freely;  then  produce  vomiting  with  mustard, 
sulphate  of  copper,  ipecac  or  some  other  emetic. 
Mucilaginous  drinks  should  then  be  given.  The 


250  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

important  chemical  antidote  for  all  arsenical  com- 
pounds is  hydrated  sesquioxid  of  iron. 

Bed  Bug  Poison — Plenty  of  milk  or  white  of  eggs. 

Belladonna — Evacuate  stomach;  apply  external 
heat,  alternate  hot  and  cold  douches ;  induce  artificial 
respiration.  The  chemical  antidote  is  tannic  acid; 
the  physiological  antidote  is  pilocarpm. 

Cantharides  (Spanish  Flies) — Evacuate  stomach ; 
give  albuminous  or  mucilaginous  drinks;  avoid  oily 
substances ;  leeches ;  linseed  tea  in  large  quantities. 

Carbolic  Acid — Milk,  flour  and  water;  white  of 
eggs ;  glycerine ;  oil,  magnesia  and  flaxseed  tea.  Hot 
applications  to  the  skin;  Epsom  and  Glauber's  salts. 

Chloroform — Produce  vomiting;  lower  patient's 
head;  alternate  hot  and  cold  douches;  induce  arti- 
ficial respiration. 

Gas — Plenty  of  air;  artificial  respiration;  rectal 
douches,  and  apply  heat  to  extremities. 

Digitalis — Evacuate  stomach ;  lay  person  prone ; 
apply  external  heat,  especially  about  abdomen.  Ac- 
onite is  the  best  physiological  antidote,  but  must  be 
used  with  extreme  caution. 

Fish — Vomiting,  followed  by  salt  purgatives  (Ep- 
som and  Glauber's  salts)  and  alkaline  drinks;  enema. 

Honey  Poisons — Black  coffee,  smell  of  camphor, 
and  rub  with  it. 

Ice  Cream  and  Milk — Cleanse  stomach  and  bowels ; 
apply  heat  and  stimulate. 

Iodine — Starch,  wheat  flour,  or  arrowroot  boiled 
in  water,  freely;  vomiting  agencies  and  external 
heat. 

Ivy  Poison  (Sumach) — Apply  to  affected  parts 
a  paste  of  equal  parts  of  starch  and  glycerine. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  251 

Laudanum,  Opium,  but  not  Morphine — Evacuate 
contents  of  the  stomach  by  emetics  such  as  mustard, 
ipecac  or  sulphate  of  copper ;  stomach  pump ;  strong 
coffee ;  external  heat.  Keep  patient  awake  by  shout- 
ing in  ear,  by  walking  him,  by  flagellating  with  wet 
towels,  or  by  alternating  hot  and  cold  douches.  Elec- 
tricity; respiratory  stimulants;  alcohol;  tannic  acid 
freely. 

Lead  and  its  Compounds  (Sugar  of  Lead,  White 
Lead,  Red  Lead,  Litharge) — Emetics  or  stomach 
pump;  mucilaginous  and  albuminous  drinks;  exter- 
nal heat.  Sodium  and  Magnesium  Sulphates  are  best 
chemical  antidotes. 

Mad  Dog  Bite — Tie  band  around  limb  above 
wound ;  cauterize  wound ;  apply  clean  dressing ;  clean 
the  body  internally  and  externally;  do  not  eat  while 
excited;  rest  and  do  not  become  frightened  or  re- 
sort to  any  serum  treatment.  The  fear  and  Pasteur 
treatment  may  do  more  harm  than  the  original  bite. 
Sanitation  of  the  wound  (and  mind)  should  be  main- 
tained. 

Matches  (Phosphorous) — Sometimes  children  eat 
the  ends  of  matches  and  are  poisoned.  The  anti- 
dotes are  the  same  as  that  of  phosphorous.  Give 
emetics  and  then  purgatives,  followed  by  flaxseed 
tea  or  slippery  elm.  (Fats  or  oils  should  not  be 
given.) 

Meats,  Putrefied — Produce  vomiting  and  follow 
by  vinegar  or  lemon  juice. 

Mercury  (Bichloride  of  Mercury,  White  Precipi- 
tate, Red  Precipitate  and  Calomel) — White  of  eggs 
freely,  followed  by  stomach  pump ;  external  heat  and 
respiratory  stimulants. 


252  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

Mushrooms — Evacuate  stomach  and  bowels ;  stim- 
ulate. 

Nicotine  or  Tobacco — Wash  out  stomach;  stimu- 
late with  spirits  of  ammonia;  whiskey  or  water. 

Nitrate  of  Silver — Common  table  salt  in  water; 
stimulate. 

Nitre — Produce  vomiting,  then  give  drinks  of  bar- 
ley water,  followed  by  an  oil  or  lubricant. 

Nitric  Acid  (Aqua  Fortis) — Give  freely  of  cal- 
cined magnesia  in  little  water;  chalk  or  lime  water; 
strong  soap  and  water.  Wood  ashes  and  sweet  milk 
will  sometimes  be  useful  if  nothing  more  efficacious 
is  at  hand. 

Potash  (Caustic  Potash) — Drink  freely  of  water 
with  vinegar  or  lemon  juice  in  it. 

Rat  Paste — Quick  vomiting  of  salt  and  mustard, 
then  flaxseed  tea  freely. 

Saltpeter — Induce  vomiting  gently.  Give  flaxseed 
tea  or  gum  water.  Milk  or  white  of  eggs. 

Snake  Bite  Poison — Tie  band  around  limb  above 
bite ;  cauterize  wound ;  apply  clean  dressings ;  do  not 
get  excited  and  do  not  worry. 

Stings — Apply  salt  water,  or  sweet  oil,  or  fresh 
mold.  Always  take  out  the  sting  of  the  bee. 

Strychnine  (Nux  Vomica) — Give  freely  any  fatty 
matter,  sweet  oil,  lard  or  lard  oils ;  let  patient  take 
of  it  a  pint  at  a  time  and  have  it  vomited  each  time 
by  passing  the  finger  down  the  throat.  Give  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  baking  soda  dissolved  in  a  little 
water.  Tannic  Acid  is  the  chief  chemical  antidote 
(in  draughts  of  warm  water). 

Tin — White  of  eggs  and  milk  or  sugar  water. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  253 

Turpentine — Epsom  salt;  albuminous  drinks; 
flaxsecd  or  slippery  elm  tea;  fresh  air. 

An  "Emergency  Knowledge"  of  Toxicology  (the 
study  of  poisons  and  their  antidotes)  is  a  very  im- 
portant matter  and  should  be  possessed  by  every 
intelligent  and  up-to-date  person. 


HOW  TO  LIVE  TO  A  RIPE  OLD  AGE 

PAST  AND   PRESENT   MODES   OF   LIVING   COMPAKED 

Methuselah,  of  biblical  fame,  lived  to  be  nine 
hundred  years  of  age.  When  one  takes  into  consid- 
eration the  natural  mode  of  living  at  that  time,  the 
healthy  parentage  and  ideal  environment,  one  be- 
gins to  actually  believe  it.  Picture  a  period  of 
human  history  where  no  one  had  to  worry  about 
losing  his  job,  or  finding  one;  when  adulterated  food, 
poor  combinations  of  food,  gluttony  and  hasty  eat- 
ing in  order  to  be  "on  time"  did  not  exist ;  where  con- 
ventional lies  and  hypocrisy  did  not  prevail;  when 
cheating  and  exploitation  were  not  popular;  when 
mere  possession  of  wealth  did  not  give  one  prestige, 
presidency  in  a  lodge  or  a  political  office;  when  no 
one  laughed  at  you  if  your  nails  were  not  manicured, 
if  your  hair  was  parted  in  the  middle  and  if  you  did 
not  enjoy  arch-breaking  high  heels,  tight  corsets, 
stiff  collars,  belts  and  clothes-worshiping  generally. 
Picture  that  society  where  fresh  air  was  uncontam- 
inated  by  the  factory  smoke,  where  one  was  sur- 
rounded by  golden  sunshine  instead  of  our  present 
brick  tenement  which  is  air-tight  and  productive  of 
tuberculosis;  a  society  where  constipation  did  not 
exist;  a  society  where  abusive  habits  such  as  smok- 
ing or  chewing  skunk  weed,  booze  guzzling,  animal- 
flesh  eating,  sexual  debauchery,  palate-tickling  with 

254 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  255 

artificial  sweets  and  stimulants  did  not  exist;  a  so- 
ciety in  which  it  was  not  even  stylish  to  sever  rela- 
tionship with  your  appendix;  in  other  words,  a  so- 
ciety where  one  was  himself  instead  of  the  next  fel- 
low; where  the  incentive  to  false  modesty,  whining, 
pleading,  begging,  stealing,  abusing,  maligning,  and 
the  trinity  of  profit,  interest  and  rent,  have  not  yet 
made  their  debut;  where  one  went  to  sleep  with  a 
clear  conscience  and  a  clean  body  when  the  sun  went 
down  and  waked  in  the  morning  with  the  break  of 
day,  when  the  sunlight  beckoned  beyond  the  horizon ; 
when  a  day's  work  well  done  had  earned  a  night's 
repose. 

In  such  an  age  it  was  possible  for  men  and  women 
— and  they  were  men  and  women  in  the  real  sense  of 
the  term — to  prolong  youth  with  all  its  natural  joy 
and  blessing  and  defer  old  age  indefinitely.  But  to- 
day, in  our  boasted  civilization,  where  nobody  is  sure 
of  his  to-morrow;  where  the  landlord,  butcher, 
"boss,"  iceman,  milkman,  next-door  neighbor,  friend, 
competitor,  doctor,  lawyer  and  minister  must  all  be 
accounted  to  and  reckoned  with;  where  after  a  hard 
day's  toil  one  is  too  exhausted  to  "dabble"  in  real 
art,  music,  literature,  history,  philosophy  or  cultural 
interests  of  life ;  where  the  "movies"  become  the  poor 
man's  opera;  where  woman  is  not  only  a  slave  to 
fashion  and  society,  but  the  slave  of  a  slave;  where 
men  exterminate  themselves  and  each  other  by  means 
of  war,  hatred,  debt,  patent  medicines,  vaccines, 
haste  and  the  eternal  mad  rush  for  mere  existence — 
in  our  busy  era  it  is  hardly  possible  to  maintain  any 
degree  of  health  or  prolong  youth  to  maturity,  much 
less  attain  a  ripe  old  age.  Men  and  women  to-day 


256  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

become  old,  anatomically  speaking,  while  they  are 
still  young. 

EARLY    SYMPTOMS 

The  first  symptoms  of  old  age  should  not  appear 
before  the  fiftieth  year  or  more.  There  are,  however, 
sad  to  say,  many  persons  on  the  border  line  of 
thirty  or  younger  who  begin  to  show  symptoms  of 
senility  or  old  age.  Just  look  at  those  who  complain 
of  falling  hair,  gray  hair,  loss  of  teeth,  wrinkles  in 
the  face,  corpulence,  cold  extremities,  weakened  mem- 
ories, depressed  minds,  impotence  and  other  such  ab- 
normalities. The  question  arises:  Is  it  possible  to 
overcome  these? 

CHEMICAL   AND    PHYSICAL   CAUSES   OF    OLD   AGE 

The  chemical  and  physical  changes  that  take  place 
in  our  bodies  resulting  in  what  is  termed  old  age  are 
due  specifically  to  the  accumulation  of  hardening  and 
irritating  substances  of  a  fibrinous,  gelatinous  and 
earthy  material  in  the  system.  Every  organ  in  the 
body,  during  old  age,  is  more  or  less  prone  to  ossific 
or  bony  deposits.  The  earthy  deposits  consist 
mainly  of  phosphates  and  carbonates  of  lime  in  com- 
bination with  other  calcareous  salts.  These  bony 
and  stony  deposits  accumulate  in  our  bodies  from 
early  youth.  After  middle  age  they  begin  to  inter- 
fere with  normal  functions  of  certain  organs,  cause 
imperfect  circulation,  harden  heart  structure  and 
blood  vessels  and  block  them  with  calcareous  or  limey 
substances.  Normal  elasticity  thus  gives  way  to 
senile  rigidity. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  257 

FOODS  PRODUCING  DEPOSITS 

It  is  sad  but  true  that  almost  everything  we  eat 
contains  calcareous  or  limey  matter  to  a  greater  or 
less  degree.  Bread,  "the  staff  of  life,"  deposits  large 
quantities  of  these  salts  in  our  blood  stream.  In 
fact,  all  nitrogenous  foods,  such  as  meats  and  fish, 
contain  a  large  percentage  of  calcareous  or  earthy 
matter.  A  diet  omitting  meats,  starches  and  stimu- 
lants should  be  preferred.  In. fact,  the  more  simple 
and  natural  the  food,  the  better  one's  state  of  pres- 
ervation. Hence  a  diet  composed  chiefly  of  fruits, 
nuts  and  vegetables  is  best  adapted  for  the  preven- 
tion or  suspension  of  ossification,  which  irritates  and 
clogs  up  the  functionary  portions  of  the  kidneys, 
heart  and  lungs,  causing  premature  old  age. 

FOODS 

First  and  foremost,  moderate  eating  should  be 
adopted  as  a  preventive  measure  for  retarding  the 
advent  of  senile  decay.  Large  eaters  dig  their  graves 
very  rapidly.  It  is  better  to  eat  often,  consuming 
small  quantities,  than  to  overeat  in  one  or  two  heavy 
meals  and  boast  to  friends  of  eating  only  "one  meal" 
a  day.  If  possible  no  animal  food  should  be  eaten. 
No  animal  other  than  human  has  his  food  cooked 
or  applies  fire  to  it;  and  there  is  no  being  so  un- 
healthy as  man.  No  matter  what  food  you  eat,  the 
more  raw  the  food  the  better  for  your  health. 

DISTILLED   WATER 

One  of  the  great  secrets  for  preventing  old  age, 


258  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

or  keeping  "old  age  matter"  out  of  the  system,  is 
drinking  plenty  of  distilled  water  (the  process  of  dis- 
tillation being  that  of  separating  volatile  from  fixed 
parts,  in  any  liquid,  by  heat).  Most  water  that  we 
drink  is  not  pure.  Even  fresh  rain  water  absorbs 
filth  from  the  air  and  from  other  objects  with  which 
it  comes  in  contact  and  is  therefore  contaminated. 
If  such  water,  that  holds  in  solution  mineral  solids 
or  impurities,  be  taken  into  our  systems  it  is  but 
natural  that  the  filthy  or  earthy  deposits  accumulate 
in  our  systems.  In  order  to  get  rid  of  this  stony 
matter  in  the  water  it  must  be  distilled.  Whereas 
the  impure  water  leaves  solids  or  irritable  matter  in 
the  walls  of  our  blood  vessels,  the  distilled  water 
gradually  absorbs  and  washes  out  the  deposits  al- 
ready in  the  body. 

SUMMARY  OF  RULES 

To  avoid  premature  death  and  to  prolong  life,  as 
well  as  to  live  to  a  ripe  old  age,  consider  the  follow- 
ing precepts : 

Live  as  much  as  possible  in  the  open  air,  breathing 
deeply  and  regularly  through  the  nostrils. 

Take  plenty  of  exercise,  considering,  however,  the 
condition  of  the  body  at  the  time.  When  walking 
or  riding  in  the  open  prefer  the  sunny  side.  Always 
welcome  the  sunshine.  If  for  some  reason  exercise 
cannot  be  taken,  then  massage  movements  should  be 
had  regularly  as  a  means  of  promoting  circulation  of 
the  blood  stream. 

Take  baths  as  often  as  possible.  A  Turkish  bath 
occasionally,  if  one  is  not  too  weak,  is  of  benefit. 

Let  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise  be  your  maxim. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  259 

See  to  it  that  there  is  sufficient  ventilation  from  open 
windows  or  doors.  Sleep  in  a  darkened  room  and 
remember  that  too  much  sleep  is  sometimes  worse 
than  not  enough.  No  adult  should  sleep  less  than  sii 
or  seven  hours  nor  more  than  eight  hours,  unless  ill. 
Do  not  cover  your  head  as  though  Old  Bogy  was 
going  to  catch  you,  and  do  not  use  too  much  cover- 
ing. If  cold,  keep  the  feet  warm  with  a  hot  bottle. 

Take  at  least  one  day's  complete  rest  each  week. 
It  matters  not  what  day  is  selected.  Any  day  looks 
good  to  mother  nature. 

Drink  plenty  of  water — distilled  water. 

Let  the  diet  consist  mainly  of  fruits,  nuts  and  veg- 
etables. If  milk  is  desired,  be  sure  it  is  raw  milk  (not 
pasteurized).  If  dairy  products  are  eaten  they 
should  be  taken  in  moderation.  And  by  the  way,  do 
chew  your  food  a  little  more  slowly. 

Partake  of  no  coffee,  tea  or  tobacco.  They  are 
drugs  and  should  be  taken  under  the  directions  of 
a  physician. 

Partake  of  no  stimulating  concoctions  such  as 
beer,  whiskey,  wine  and  the  like. 

Fasting  occasionally  is  a  most  wonderful  restora- 
tive and  an  aid  to  health  and  long  life. 

See  to  it  that  your  bowels  operate  daily.  Plenty 
of  clean  water  and  fruits  will  usually  be  sufficient, 
although  bran  muffins  and  prunes  may  sometimes  be 
of  service. 

Do  not  take  medicines  at  random,  especially  pat- 
ent medicines.  If  you  really  think  you  need  them, 
consult  a  physician. 

The  natural,  clean  and  health-promoting  vaccines 
and  serums  are  fresh  air,  sunshine,  good  food,  clean 


260  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

water,  exercise,  clean  thinking  and  interest  in  one's 
work. 

Do  not  uphold  autocracy  in  dress.  In  other  words, 
do  not  make  a  hatrack  or  clothesline  out  of  your 
body.  Underwear  should  be  light  and  one  suit  is 
sufficient  no  matter  how  cold.  Wear  a  light-weight 
hat,  if  any. 

Do  not  wear  tight  shoes  because  it  is  "stylish"  or 
because  the  chiropodists  want  more  cases  of  corns 
and  bunions. 

Do  not  read  by  imperfect  light,  nor  in  street  cars, 
trains  or  jitneys.  Think  many  times  before  under- 
going a  surgical  operation.  Surgery,  in  its  place, 
is  a  wonderful  aid  in  relieving  thousands  from  suf- 
fering, and  even  in  saving  lives,  but  it  is  overdone. 
Many  times  a  little  more  patience,  giving  nature  a 
chance  and  applying  eliminative  and  simple  methods 
of  treatment  would  prevent  the  "cutting." 

Get  married  only  if  you  love.  Marriage  not  based 
upon  love  is  a  desecration  of  the  term.  And  remem- 
ber this :  Avoid  sexual  excess,  for  it  is  more  harmful 
than  sex  starvation. 

Try  hard  not  to  worry  or  become  emotional  about 
things  which  cannot  be  helped.  Do  not  carry  hatred 
or  malice  in  your  heart  against  any  person,  no  mat- 
ter how  he  has  offended  or  injured  you.  Either  for- 
give him  or  forget  him.  When  one  is  angry  or 
harbors  irritable  thoughts  or  is  revengeful  he  creates 
toxins  (poisons)  in  his  system  and  thereby  disor- 
ganizes his  vitality  and  injures  himself;  hence  do  not 
think  harmful  thoughts. 

The  fewer  modern  luxuries  you  have  to  contend 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  261 

with,  such  as  diamonds,  automobiles  and  the  like,  the 
longer  will  you  live. 

Develop  a  hobby  if  you  haven't  any. 

Do  not  rush  for  gold — if  you  want  to  be  a  cen- 
tenarian. 

Develop  cheerfulness  and  optimism. 

Do  something  useful  as  long  as  physically  and 
mentally  able.  Be  interested  in  some  human  welfare, 
for  it  keeps  one  thinking  of  something  other  than 
himself.  This  is  in  itself  a  remedy,  and  at  the  same 
time  there  is  the  wonderful  psychic  feeling  of  having 
done  good  to  somebody. 

Any  one  who  will  make  an  effort  to  live  up  to  the 
principles  given  in  this  chapter,  and  who  will  take 
into  consideration  other  health  principles,  outlined 
throughout  this  book,  unless  organically  defective  at 
the  time,  can  be  young  at  fifty,  normal  and  active  at 
seventy-five,  and  fairly  comfortable  at  one  hundred. 


PART  II 
HEALTH  SYMPOSIUM 

1.  Do  Germs  Cause  Disease? 

2.  The  Vivisection  Problem. 

3.  The  Vaccination  Problem. 

4.  The  Birth  Control  Problem. 


DO  GERMS  CAUSE  DISEASE? 

Dr.  A.  H.  Kaplan,  Pathologist,  St.  John's  Hos- 
pital, St.  Paul,  Minn.,  says  YES. 

Dr.  J.  W.  Hodge,  physician  and  writer  on  health 
issues,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  says  NO. 

This  subject  has  been  a  "bone  of  contention" 
among  members  of  the  medical  profession  and  others 
who  have  given  it  study  from  the  day  the  germ 
theory  of  disease  was  announced.  The  fact  that 
there  is  so  much  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject 
makes  it  the  more  worth  studying  and  understanding. 


265 


BACTERIA  DO  CAUSE  DISEASE 

By  A.  H.  KAPLAN,  M.D. 

(Especially  written  for  "Timely  Truths  on  Human 
Health.") 

Ever  since  the  first  ray  of  intelligence  came  to 
the  human  mind  the  subject  of  disease  and  death 
must  have  occupied  a  great  part  of  man's  daily  life. 
The  prehistoric  man  no  doubt  had  many  diseases 
which  are  found  in  our  own  time.  It  has  always 
been  a  question  in  my  mind  as  to  just  how  they  felt 
in  regard  to  the  cause  of  their  maladies. 

Later  in  our  development  diseases  were  thought 
to  be  administered  by  a  deity  for  the  purpose  of 
punishing  individuals  when  they  sinned.  We  read  in 
the  Bible  how  Jehovah  spread  pestilence  among  the 
Egyptians  when  they  refused  to  free  the  Israelites. 
History  is  full  of  similar  instances,  and  as  time  went 
on  the  tradition  of  such  teaching  was  sanctioned  by 
the  church,  until  to  this  enlightened  age  we  still  have 
people  who  believe  that  all  sickness  is  handed  down 
to  the  human  race  by  some  all-powerful  providence, 
and  so  we  have  prayers  for  this  and  that  disease,  the 
burning  of  candles  and  chanting  of  hymns. 

The  practice  among  the  savage  people  of  beating 
drums  and  building  fires  around  the  abode  of  a  sick 
person  were  done  for  the  purpose  of  scaring  the  evil 

spirit  away  from  the  body ;  also  the  custom  prevalent 

266 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  267 

among  the  early  people  to  trephine  skulls  so  that 
the  disease  would  escape.  To  sum  up  the  entire 
subject,  disease  was  looked  upon  as  being  some 
work  of  the  devil,  and  if  he  could  be  scared  away 
from  the  body  the  person  would  get  well. 

The  one  big  obstacle  which  our  scientists  had  to 
refute  was  the  theory  of  spontaneous  generation, 
the  theory  stating  that  life  could  be  produced  from 
inorganic  or  lifeless  things.  This  speculative  as- 
sumption had  many  supporters  until  the  year  1652, 
when  Francesco  Redi  proved  by  experiment  that  it 
was  an  impossibility,  and  in  the  same  year  Harvey 
made  the  famous  statement,  "Omne  vivum  ex  vivo," 
all  life  comes  from  preexisting  life. 

Since  the  foregoing  statement  was  first  given  to 
the  world  the  science  of  Bacteriology  has  made  a 
marvelous  record  and  has  cleared  up  for  man  a  thou- 
sand and  one  perplexing  problems  as  to  the  real 
causative  agents  of  disease.  It  has  swept  away  the 
spider  webs  and  octopus  entanglements  which  had 
covered  the  brains  of  men  since  the  dawn  of  human 
intelligence  and  brought  to  the  light  of  understanding 
the  exact  scientific  truths  learned  by  experimental 
and  practical  observation  extending  over  a  century 
of  time.  Such  truths  cannot  be  refuted.  They  have 
been  established  beyond  a  doubt;  we  only  have  to 
keep  our  eyes  and  ears  open  to  see  and  hear  the 
confirmation  of  its  statements. 

Do  bacteria  cause  disease?  Yes,  they  do;  and  if 
any  one  wants  to  prove  this  fact  let  him  take  some 
of  the  tubercular  germs  and  inoculate  a  guinea  pig 
or  any  other  susceptible  animal  and  see  what  will 
happen.  After  the  death  of  the  animal  the  destruc- 


268  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tive  processes  in  the  body  can  be  easily  seen,  just 
the  same  as  if  the  animal  got  the  disease  in  a  natural 
way. 

This  same  experiment  can  be  performed  with  any 
other  known  organism  and  it  will  follow  out  the  pos- 
tulates of  Koch. 

With  the  knowledge  which  the  science  of  bacteria 
brought  has  also  come  the  use  of  prophylactic  and 
curative  measures  which  act  only  in  specific  diseases, 
thus  making  such  disease  a  specific  thing;  to  be 
treated  and  handled  as  such  no  one,  who  has  seen  and 
realized  the  value  of  Anti-Diphtheria  and  Anti-Tet- 
anus serum  needs  to  be  told  how  it  has  aided  man  by 
its  fight  against  the  ravages  of  disease. 

Smallpox,  a  disease  which  broke  out  endemically 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  decimating  the  popula- 
tion, has  lost  its  voluptuous  appetite,  thanks  to  the 
work  of  Edward  Jenner,  who  first  practiced  vaccina- 
tion, decreasing  the  mortality  from  this  disease  to  an 
infinitesimal  number.  Anybody  who  doubts  this 
statement  should  read  DeFoe's  story  of  the  Black 
Plague,  read  for  himself  the  diary  of  one  who  was 
an  eye-witness  to  the  great  pestilence  in  our  history. 
Do  we  hear  of  any  such  recurrence?  No,  and  the 
reason  is  because  the  human  family  has  been  pro- 
tected by  successive  generations  of  vaccination. 

If  any  one  thing  helps  to  prove  that  bacteria  cause 
disease  it  is  our  sanitary  system.  Look  up  the  his- 
tory of  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal  and  read 
how  the  battles  against  diseases  were  fought  by  the 
sturdy  engineers  and  other  workers  until  the  work  of 
the  canal  had  to  be  condemned  because  Malaria  and 
Yellow  Fever  cut  them  down,  making  that  country 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  269 

a  white  man's  grave.  So  it  remained  until  Gorgas 
came  and  cleaned  the  land  of  its  malaria-breeding 
swamps,  after  the  causative  agency  of  this  disease 
was  found  to  be  a  small  protozoa  which  was  carried 
in  the  blood  of  a  certain  mosquito,  by  cleaning  up  its 
propagating  grounds.  The  disease  was  wiped  up, 
until  now  Panama  is  as  healthy  a  country  as  any 
one  land  in  the  world. 

After  that  discovery  by  the  medical  investigators 
the  canal  was  completed  and  the  world  has  seen  and 
began  to  realize  its  practical  value.  So  you  see 
that  the  best  technical  skill  could  not  overcome  the 
simple  mosquito.  We  can  see  similar  examples  right 
in  our  own  cities.  In  the  cities  which  have  the  clean- 
est streets,  where  the  water  supply  is  kept  free  from 
pathogenic  bacteria,  where  contaminating  influence 
from  garbage  and  sewage  is  reduced  to  its  minimum, 
the  mortality  is  at  its  lowest,  and  vice  versa. 

Typhoid  fever  epidemics  which  were  so  common 
years  ago  are  now  practically  unknown.  Why? 
Because  we  understand  the  etiology  of  the  disease 
and  keep  away  the  bacteria  of  Typhoid  from  our  in- 
testinal tract. 

Hydrophobia  was  at  one  time  thought  to  be  in- 
curable, and  every  one  who  was  ever  bitten  by  a  rabid 
dog  died.  Louis  Pasteur,  the  great  French  scientist, 
became  a  human  benefactor  by  establishing  a  cura- 
tive and  preventive  measure  for  that  disease. 

If  I  were  to  classify  our  history  I  would  put  that 
period  before  antiseptic  surgery  came  in  use  as  that 
belonging  to  the  dark  ages.  One  of  the  greatest 
humane  discoveries  in  the  medical  realm  was  that  of 
anaesthesia  and  antiseptic  surgery.  Can  you  im- 


270  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

agine  putting  a  patient  on  a  table  and  cutting  into 
him  while  fully  awake?  Can  you  imagine  the  suffer- 
ing and  pain  he  had  to  endure,  at  the  same  time  he 
was  infected  from  the  dirty  hands  of  the  operator? 

What  brought  antiseptic  surgery  about?  A  few 
words  will  answer  the  question.  Pasteur's  investi- 
gations into  the  cause  of  infections  as  being  due  to 
bacteria  in  or  about  the  patient,  instruments  and 
operator,  and  Lord  Lister's  application  of  this 
knowledge  by  using  chemical  disinfectants  to  destroy 
the  bacteria  on  whatever  substance  came  near  the 
wound.  What  was  the  result? 

Post-operative  infection  was  reduced  80%  imme- 
diately, and  now  an  infection  means  unclean  surgical 
work.  If  you  ever  go  to  witness  an  operation  you 
will  notice  how  scrupulously  clean  the  place  is ;  you 
will  also  notice  that  instruments  and  cotton  material 
used  are  all  sterilized  either  by  high  pressure  sterili- 
zation with  live  steam,  or  boiled. 

The  surgeon  and  attending  nurse  are  dressed  with 
sterile  clothing,  and  hands  in  sterile  rubber  gloves, 
the  nose  and  mouth  covered  by  gauze.  The  patient, 
on  the  other  hand,  has  been  cleaned  internally  and 
externally,  and  the  site  of  operation  sterilized,  he 
is  covered  with  sterile  material,  the  only  opening 
being  the  small  site  of  the  incision.  Compare  a  scene 
like  this  to  one  of  pre-Listerion  days  and  what  would 
you  say? 

If  any  of  the  old  physicians  would  come  to  life 
again  and  see  how  work  is  done  now  they  would  re- 
turn to  their  graves  for  shame. 

In  every  part  of  the  United  States  where  vessels 
from  foreign  countries  come  are  stationed  guardians 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  271 

of  the  United  States  Public  Health  Service,  who  see 
that  the  cargo  of  human  beings  as  well  as  the  im- 
ported animal  life  is  free  from  contagious  diseases. 
Quarantine  rules  are  very  strict,  and  all  suspicious 
immigrants  are  detained  and  observed  for  further 
symptoms  of  disease.  In  that  measure  Plague,  Ty- 
phus, Cholera  and  other  diseases  have  been  kept 
away  from  our  doors.  The  reason  we  do  these  things 
is  because  the  causative  agents  of  these  diseases  are 
thoroughly  understood,  together  with  their  inter- 
mediate carriers.  Rats,  being  the  carriers  for 
Plague,  are  destroyed  in  the  holds  of  the  ships  by 
fumigation. 

One  of  the  most  pathetic  periods  in  our  entire 
history  is  the  time  when  puerpural  fever  was  very 
common,  but  when  the  relationship  of  bacteria  to 
disease  was  established  this  dreadful  disease  was  ex- 
terminated. 

In  one  of  the  large  hospitals  of  Vienna  it  was  the 
custom  of  physicians  to  go  to  the  lying-in  chambers 
after  coming  from  the  autopsy  room  without  taking 
any  sanitary  precautions.  The  result  was  that  the 
greater  percentage  of  women  who  entered  that  ward 
never  came  out  alive. 

Semmelweis,  the  chief  of  that  section,  introduced 
the  custom  of  washing  the  hands  with  chlorine  water, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  the  mortality  dropped  to 
a  very  small  figure.  What  was  the  cause?  The 
answer  is  a  very  simple  one  to  us  at  the  present 
time,  but  during  that  period  it  was  indeed  a  very 
uncertain  thing. 

The  bacteria  from  the  cadavers  were  carried  by 
the  student's  hands  direct  to  a  live,  warm  body,  im- 


272  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

planting  the  organisms  into  a  fertile  field  when  the 
growth  could  be  luxurious.  Infection,  as  you  can 
see,  was  inevitable,  and  it  was  so  that  hundreds  of 
women  never  left  that  hospital,  carrying  with  them 
to  the  grave  their  unborn  children. 

The  antiseptic  value  of  Semmelweis'  chlorine  water 
was  perhaps  of  little  potency,  but  the  continual  use 
of  the  solution  inculcated  into  the  minds  of  the 
worker  the  idea  of  cleanliness  when  dealing  with  the 
human  body.  If  any  one  should  come  to  Vienna  now 
they  will  see  in  one  of  the  city's  largest  parks  a 
statue  of  Semmelweis  donated  by  popular  subscrip- 
tion by  women  of  Europe  to  honor  their  liberator 
from  avoidable  death. 


BACTERIOPHOBIA  AND   MEDICAL   FADS 
By  J.  W.  HODGE,  M.D. 

The  startling  announcement  comes  through  the 
columns  of  the  yellow  journals  that  the  germ  of 
insanity  has  now  been  discovered.  What  next? 
Who  next?  So  much  is  being  written  nowadays 
in  the  orthodox  medical  journals  and  exploited 
by  the  sensational  newspaper  press  about  dis- 
ease germs  and  their  ravages  that  practical 
people  are  beginning  to  inquire:  "Where  are 
we  at,  and  where  is  this  craze  about  germs  to 
end?"  Health  boards,  in  their  great  zeal  to 
save  the  "dear  people"  from  the  assaults  of  these 
microscopic  monsters  which,  we  are  gravely  told, 
swarm  in  the  air  we  breathe,  in  the  water  we  drink, 
in  the  food  we  eat,  and  lurk  on  the  lips  of  lovers  in 
millions,  billions,  trillions,  quadrillions,  quintillions, 
and  so  on  ad  infinitum,  are  squandering  millions  of 
the  public  funds  in  waging  an  incessant  and  futile 
warfare  upon  these  imaginary  foes  of  human  exist- 
ence. Every  day  some  hitherto  unheard  of  bacteri- 
ologist heralds  through  the  yellow  newspapers  the 
alleged  discovery  of  some  new  form  of  microbe  with 
a  long  Greek  name.  Every  day  some  germ-crazed 
theorist  hysterically  points  to  a  new  form  of  danger 
hidden  under  some  familiar  guise,  and  anxiously  asks 

how  it  is  to  be  met  and  overcome.     Nearly  every 

273 


274  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

day  fresh  horror  is  added  to  human  existence  by  the 
blatant  announcement  of  some  alarming  discovery 
purporting  to  bear  the  hallmark  of  science.  The  or- 
thodox medical  journals  of  the  self-styled  "regular" 
school  are  as  full  of  germs  as  the  Sahara  Desert  is 
full  of  sand.  A  newly  discovered  disease  germ  is 
officially  reported  every  morning  at  8:30.  Had  the 
discovery  of  these  germs  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
prevention  or  the  cure  of  diseases  people  must  long 
ago  have  ceased  to  die  of  cancer,  cholera,  consump- 
tion, diphtheria,  scarlet  fever,  typhoid  fever  and 
pneumonia.  The  stubborn  fact,  however,  remains 
that  the  above  mentioned  diseases  are  quite  as  preva- 
lent and  fatal  at  the  present  time  as  they  were  in 
the  pre-microbian  period;  while  two  of  them  (cancer 
and  consumption)  have  been  rapidly  increasing  in 
frequency  since  the  discovery  of  the  germ  theory 
was  announced. 

Serum  therapy,  the  outgrowth  of  the  germ  theory, 
is  regarded  by  many  eminent  pathologists  as  the 
principal  factor  in  the  increased  prevalence  of  can- 
cer and  consumption.  Serum  therapy,  by  employing 
as  remedies  the  products  of  diseased  animal  tissues, 
necessarily  disseminates  communicable  diseases 
among  the  people.  The  fact  that  statistics  show  a 
greater  death  rate  from  the  above  named  diseases 
since  the  wonderful  discovery  of  the  germ  theory,  and 
since  boards  of  health  have  been  vested  with  author- 
ity to  force  this  ruinous  fad  upon  physicians  and 
the  people,  is  strong  evidence  of  the  injury  wrought 
by  this  monstrous  medical  fallacy.  If  we  are  to 
believe  the  germ  theorists,  all  the  actions  of  our 
daily  life,  our  letters,  our  money,  our  books,  our 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  275 

clothes,  our  dwellings,  the  trolley  car,  the  cab,  the 
waiting  room,  the  train,  the  theater,  the  drinking 
cup,  our  every  bite  and  sup — all  are  fraught  with 
the  most  hideous  perils.  It  is,  indeed,  touchingly 
pathetic  to  witness  the  hold  which  the  modern  craze 
regarding  germs  and  their  destruction  has  obtained 
upon  the  minds  of  the  credulous  and  emotional  classes 
of  society,  as  well  as  upon  sensational  newspaper 
editors  and  reporters,  who  implicitly  follow  faith  in- 
stead of  reason.  If  we  believed  one-half  of  what  the 
microbe  theorists  tell  us  we  would  not  dare  to 
breathe,  eat  or  drink.  There  can  henceforth  be  no 
rest  for  the  man  or  the  woman  who  believes  in  the 
disease  germ  and  its  universality.  The  credulous 
people  of  this  germ-infested  planet  might  just  as  well 
realize  first  as  last  that  there  is  no  safety  for  them 
unless  they  get  fumigated  and  be  hermetically  sealed 
up  in  sterilized  glass  cases,  or  jump  into  a  bath  of 
carbolic  acid  and  remain  there. 

There  is  a  popular  impression  among  the  mis- 
informed that  the  medical  profession  is  unanimous 
in  its  acceptance  of  the  germ  theory  of  disease ;  that 
is,  the  theory  that  all  infectious  and  most  other  dis- 
eases are  due  to  the  entrance  of  living  micro-organ- 
isms into  the  bodies  of  those  affected.  This  impres- 
sion is  grossly  erroneous.  Many  of  the  most  ad- 
vanced thinkers  in  the  medical  profession,  both  in 
this  country  and  abroad,  are  frank  in  the  expression 
of  their  convictions  that  the  germ  theory  has  no 
scientific  basis  upon  which  to  rest  its  claims.  It  is 
a  mere  fantasy  of  fussy  microscopists  who  know  little 
or  nothing  of  the  real  nature  of  disease.  Moreover, 
many  investigators  who  were  at  one  time  identified 


276  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

with  the  germ  theory  are  now  on  record  as  having 
abandoned  it  as  untenable.  For  instance,  at  the 
thirteenth  triennial  session  of  the  International  Med- 
ical Congress,  held  in  Paris  in  1903,  Dr.  Rudolph 
Virchow,  who  is  conceded  to  be  the  world's  leading 
authority  on  this  subject,  frankly  said:  "Microbes 
are  always  found  where  there  is  disease.  They  are 
also  found  where  there  is  no  appreciable  disease,  and 
may  be  the  result  and  not  the  cause  of  disease." 
This  statement  coming  from  one  who  was  formerly 
a  leading  advocate  of  the  germ  theory,  is  significant 
indeed.  It  is  safe  to  assert  that  no  sensible  physician 
believes  one-half  of  what  the  germ  faddists  say  about 
the  alleged  ravages  of  the  minute  organisms  called 
disease  germs.  The  experiments  performed  on  their 
own  persons  a  few  years  ago  by  Professors  Petten- 
koffer  and  Emmrich  of  Munich,  Germany,  gave  the 
germ  theory  a  blow  from  which  it  has  never  recov- 
ered. At  one  dose  Prof.  Pettenkoffer  swallowed 
several  millions  of  the  comma  bacilli  (germs  of  Asi- 
atic cholera).  Prof.  Emmrich  repeated  the  experi- 
ment a  few  days  later  by  swallowing  a  culture  con- 
taining many  millions  of  cholera  germs.  For  more 
than  a  week  these  professors  had  in  their  alimentary 
canals  countless  millions  of  the  real  cholera  germs, 
the  lineal  descendants  of  the  comma  bacilli,  taken 
from  the  intestines  of  persons  who  had  died  of 
Asiatic  cholera  in  Hamburg,  still  neither  of  these 
physicians  suffered  from  anything  like  cholera; 
neither  did  either  of  them  experience  any  appreciable 
effect  from  the  large  quantities  of  active  cholera 
germs  swallowed.  The  ludicrous  aspect  of  these  ex- 
periments was  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  while 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  277 

North  and  South  America  were  in  a  state  of  hyster- 
ical panic  through  fear  that  the  comma  bacilli  might 
gain  entrance  into  this  country,  and  while  a  number 
of  eminent  physicians  were  kept  busy  explaining  to 
the  frightened  public  the  fearful  results  that  would 
surely  follow  from  the  presence  of  these  "germs," 
two  eminent  German  professors  were  walking  about 
attending  to  their  duties  while  harboring  within  their 
bodies  countless  millions  of  the  "deadly"  cholera 
germs.  When  the  germ  doctors  are  pressed  for  an 
explanation  of  such  occurrences  as  these  they  will 
tell  you  that  the  professors  were  insusceptible;  that 
disease  germs  will  not  "take  hold"  of  a  healthy  per- 
son. If  this  is  so,  how  can  the  germs  be  the  cause 
of  disease?  If  it  is  necessary  that  a  person  be  in 
poor  health  before  the  germs  can  "take  hold"  of  him, 
may  not  the  germs  be  the  result  or  an  incident  of  the 
disease? 

The  discovery  that  every  person's  mouth  harbors 
microbes  in  immense  numbers  has  led  certain  doc- 
tors to  denounce  kissing  as  a  dangerous  pastime  that 
should  be  put  down  by  the  strong  hand  of  the  law, 
though  the  law  still  enjoins  the  kissing  of  the  Bible. 

If  germs  are  the  cause  of  disease,  isn't  it  a  little 
strange  that  anybody  should  have  lived  long  enough 
to  die  of  old  age  before  this  wonderful  discovery  was 
made?  History  informs  us  that  our  ancestors  of 
the  pre-microbian  period  were  strong,  healthy  people 
who  attained  on  an  average  a  good  old  age,  notwith- 
standing their  blissful  ignorance  of  the  presence  of 
disease  germs  and  how  to  escape  them. 

Another  crushing  refutation  of  the  germ  theory 
of  disease  is  found  in  the  fact  that  germs  or  "patho- 


278  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

genie"  micro-organisms,  which  are  supposed  to  be 
the  essential  cause  of  certain  diseases,  are  found  to 
prevail  in  populous  localities  from  which  these  dis- 
eases are  permanently  absent.  For  instance,  Prof. 
Metchnikoff,  a  renowned  authority,  tells  us  that  he 
has  found  the  bacilli  of  Asiatic  cholera  widely  dif- 
fused in  the  waters  of  many  localities,  while  these 
same  localities  were  practically  free  from  cholera. 
Metchnikoff  also  says:  "The  bacilli  of  typhoid 
fever  have  been  found  in  inhabited  localities  in  which 
typhoid  fever  has  never  been  known  to  occur."  This 
statement  is  corroborated  by  the  testimony  of  many 
eminent  bacteriologists  and  is  denied  by  none. 

The  Klebs-Loeffler  bacilli,  which  are  supposed  to 
be  the  essential  cause  of  diphtheria,  have  been  re- 
peatedly found  in  the  mouths  of  healthy  people  who 
never  suffered  from  anything  like  diphtheria.  By 
actual  experiment  it  has  been  demonstrated  time  and 
again  that  the  so-called  germs  of  diphtheria  when 
swallowed  in  immense  numbers  by  human  beings  and 
injected  subcutaneously  into  their  bodies  have  in- 
variably failed  to  produce  anything  resembling  diph- 
theria. 

Again,  many  cases  of  disease  attributed  to  certain 
so-called  "pathogenic"  micro-organisms  have  been 
met  with  where  the  specific  germ,  on  diligent  search, 
could  not  be  found.  In  these  cases  the  adherents  of 
the  germ  theory  boldly  assert  that  "the  bacteria  were 
undoubtedly  present,  although  the  bacteriologists 
were  unable  to  find  them."  Thus  have  the  germ  the- 
orists been  routed  from  one  untenable  position  only 
to  take  up  another. 

Again,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  all  mucous  ori- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  279 

fices  of  the  body,  even  of  healthy  persons,  swarm  with 
pathogenic  bacteria  of  many  descriptions,  some  of 
them  being  of  the  supposed  most  virulent  character. 
But  some  one  asks:  "Do  you  deny  the  existence 
of  germs?"  I  answer,  "No."  The  germ  is  a  fact, 
a  fact  of  great  interest  to  the  biologist,  but  of  little 
importance  to  the  pathologist.  Germs  are  a  physi- 
ological fact,  but  the  attempt  to  consign  them  to  the 
domain  of  pathology  is  a  libel  on  these  tiny  harmless 
creatures  which  swarm  in  all  vital  air,  in  all  spar- 
kling drinking  water,  in  all  wholesome  food,  and  in 
every  healthy  tissue  of  our  bodies.  Again  somebody 
asks:  "Do  we  not  find  germs  in  diseased  as  well  as 
in  healthy  tissues?"  Again  I  answer,  "Yes,"  They 
are  there  as  scavengers,  as  friends  to  the  patient  and 
as  foes  to  the  disease.  To  charge  them  with  having 
caused  the  disease  would  be  as  unfair  to  them  as  it 
would  be  unjust  to  charge  the  street  scavenger  with 
having  produced  the  filth  which  he  is  engaged  in 
removing. 


AUTHOR'S  COMMENT 

I.  From  a  pro-germ  theory  standpoint  Dr.  A.  H. 
Kaplan  has  written  an  interesting  article.     He,  like 
all  human  beings,  has  a  right  to  express  his  views 
fully  and  freely,  no  matter  what  they  may  be  or  how 
widely  they  may  happen  to  differ  from  our  own.    We 
should  all  learn  to  "agree  to  disagree"  and  be  truly 
tolerant. 

II.  Why  we  believe  germs  do  not  cause  disease : 
The  author,  like  other  physicians,  used  to  believe 

in  the  germ  theory  as  the  cause  of  so-called  "con- 
tagious" disease  as  rigorously  and  as  reverently  as 
anybody  could.  He  even  got  angry  (in  his  over- 
zealous  support)  with  those  who  used  to  oppose  the 
germ  theory. 

We  now  agree  with  those  members  of  our  profes- 
sion, and  intelligent  persons  out  of  the  profession, 
who  hold  that  germs  do  not  cause  disease.  We  hold 
that  disease  causes  germs.  Further,  we  feel  that 
there  is  more  harm  from  fear  of  germs  than  from 
germs  themselves. 

We  do  not  claim  that  there  are  no  such  things 
as  germs,  but  maintain  that  the  importance  of  the 
germ,  as  the  cause  of  disease  has  been — like  the 
false  story  of  Mark  Twain's  death — greatly  exag- 
gerated. 

The  specific  germ  is  only  the  symptom  or  result  of 

broken-down  cell  structure  instead  of  the  cause.     In 

280 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  281 

other  words,  the  disease  is  primary  (brought  on  by 
lack  of  sufficient  air,  sunshine  or  by  abnormal  living), 
and  the  germ  is  secondary — an  after  effect. 

Disease  germs  are  everywhere.  The  air  is  full  of 
"contagion."  And  if  the  present-day  notions  con- 
cerning the  extreme  importance  of  disease  germs  and 
their  destructiveness  were  true,  the  human  race  could 
not  exist  for  one  hour. 

If  germs  do  cause  disease,  what  causes  germs? 
Where  does  brother  germ  come  from?  Why  do 
they  not  affect  all  alike?  And  lastly,  have  we  less 
illness  in  the  world  to-day,  since  the  germ  theory  of 
disease  had  made  its  debut? 

Why  not  look  the  thing  squarely  in  the  face  and 
realize  that  if  the  people  had  better  economic  condi- 
tions and  were  allowed  to  learn  the  importance  and 
beauty  of  natural  living,  such  as  eating  for  efficiency, 
having  plenty  of  fresh  air,  sunshine,  clean  water, 
wearing  suitable  clothes,  taking  systematic  exercise, 
bathing  properly,  using  the  nose  for  breathing  in- 
stead of  retaining  it  as  an  ornament  as  for  powder- 
ing purposes,  and  thus  building  clean  blood,  good 
vitality  and  will  power  (the  trinity  of  resisting 
agencies  toward  any  abnormal  manifestation,  we 
commonly  term  disease),  if  only  humans  would  do 
this,  they  could  look  a  germ  squarely  in  the  eye  and 
"kill  it  with  a  smile." 

To  those  who  are  really  interested  in  the  study  of 
the  microzyma  (commonly  known  to-day  under  the 
name  of  microbe)  we  suggest  and  urge  the  very  un- 
usual and  startling  book,  "The  Blood  and  Its  Third 
Anatomical  Element,"  by  Dr.  A.  Bechamp,  formerly 
Professor  in  the  Medical  Faculty  of  Montpellier 


282  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

(France),  Corresponding  Member  of  the  Academy 
of  Medicine,  etc.  This  book  has  been  translated 
from  the  French  by  Montague  R.  Leverson,  Ph.D., 
M.D.,  of  London,  England.  (Published  by  John 
Ouseley,  Limited,  6  Fleet  Lane,  Farrington  Street, 
London,  E.  C.) 


THE  VIVISECTION  PROBLEM 

Vivisection  is  the  cutting  or  operating  on  living 
animals  experimentally  with  the  aim  in  view  of  ascer- 
taining physiological  and  pathological  facts,  to  be 
employed  if  and  when  possible  in  the  prevention  and 
treatment  of  human  ailments. 

Human,  as  well  as  sub-human,  vivisection  exists. 

The  subject  of  vivisection  is  not  only  interesting 
and  instructive  for  any  truth-seeking  person,  but  is 
vitally  important  because  of  its  fundamental  nature. 

The  germ  theory  of  disease,  serum-therapy  and 
vaccination  are  interwoven  more  or  less  with  the 
subject  of  vivisection. 

Pursuing  his  usual  policy  of  tolerance,  the  author 
presents  both  sides  of  the  controversy  in  articles  by 
worthy  experts,  reserving  his  own  opinion  until  the 
last. 


283 


THE  VALUE  OF  VIVISECTION 

By  F.  A.  TONDOBF,  S.J.,  Ph.D. 

(Head  of  the  Department  of  Physiology,  George- 
town  University,   Medical    School, 
Washington,  D.  C.) 

The  human  body  has  not  been  fashioned  by  human 
hands.  It  is  a  masterpiece  of  the  Master  Builder. 
Every  age  has  been  parent  to  men  big  enough  to 
appreciate  this  master  work  and  generous  enough 
to  sacrifice  their  lives  in  caring  for  this  "Piece  of 
Work,"  as  styled  by  Hamlet.  Only  within  recent 
years  has  medicine  established  its  right  to  recogni- 
tion in  the  school  of  science.  This  principally  be- 
cause of  Animal  Experimentation.  Yet  to-day  un- 
balanced sentimentality  and  irrational  hysteria 
would  deny  this  right  and  stay  Medicine  in  its  rapid 
onward  march.  .  .  . 

It  is  with  the  sole  purpose  of  disabusing  the  public 
mind  of  any  false  notions  which  this  persistent  body 
would  place  in  the  way  of  securing  and  promoting 
means  and  methods  toward  fostering  public  health 
that  these  few  items  are  modestly  tabulated. 

ETHICAL    ASPECT 

God  has  unequivocally  entrusted  his  creatures  to 
man  to  be  of  service  to  him  in  the  prosecution  of  his 

necessary  end.     Accordingly,  every  one  has  an  un- 

284 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  285 

questionable  right  to  their  use  for  any  lawful  pur- 
pose he  sees  fit.  I  emphasize  lawful  purpose,  the 
norm  being  that  in  this  use  man  violates  no  obliga- 
tions toward  God,  himself,  or  his  fellowman.  This 
the  so-called  animal-right  notwithstanding. 

Ethically  an  animal  has  no  right.  A  right  is  a 
moral  power,  and  a  moral  power  is  resident  only  in 
a  rational  being.  Invoking  barnyard  right,  there- 
fore, is  codifying  barnyard  morality.  The  inference 
is  clear,  that  no  irrational  being  can  suffer  an  injus- 
tice, for  there  can  be  no  injustice  where  injustice  is 
not  recognized  and  where  no  unwillingness  is  mani- 
fested on  the  part  of  the  subject. 

Wanton  use,  a  use  involving  unnecessary  pain,  is 
strictly  inhibited,  for  therein  man  sins  against  him- 
self. Pertinently  mentionable  in  this  connection  is 
a  tome  compiled  by  one  anti-vivisectionist,  Leffing- 
well,  entitled  "An  Ethical  Problem."  The  volume 
belies  its  title  so  effectually  that  it  would  outwit  the 
wits  of  an  Aristotle  to  find  therein  even  the  sem- 
blance of  a  moral  argument.  Yet  to  this  farrago 
the  dogophiles  unremittingly  point  as  to  their  Bible. 

THE    ACHIEVEMENTS    OF    VTVISECTIONISTS 

The  economical  advantages  derived  from  animal 
experimentation  are  so  vast  that  even  a  condensed 
story  thereof  would  far  exceed  the  limits  of  the  space 
allotted  me  in  this  volume.  To  do  so  I  should  have 
to  rehearse  the  laboratory  findings  of  Harvey,  Pas- 
teur, Loeffler,  Leishman,  Lister,  Czerny,  Ferrier, 
Hitzig,  Carroll,  Reed  and  a  score  of  others  of  more 
recent  date,  men  whose  names  a  grateful  community 
should  dig  deep  in  their  heart  of  hearts — I  should 


286  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

have  to  tell  the  long  story  of  the  science  of  physi- 
ology, the  study  of  the  functionings  of  the  animal 
mechanism.  This  would  carry  with  it  the  history 
of  the  discover}'  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  of 
the  workings  of  the  viscera,  the  brain,  cord  and  nerv- 
ous system  generally. 

BACTERIOLOGY 

Long  would  be  the  page  that  would  tell  what  ani- 
mal experimentation  had  done  to  eradicate  that 
great  scourge,  typhoid  fever.  Frightful  indeed  this 
page  on  the  pre-vaccination  days.  It  would  tell 
that  in  the  Civil  War,  between  July  1,  1862,  and 
June  30,  1866,  there  were  57,400  cases  with  a  death 
toll  of  5,360.  That  during  the  Spanish  War  more 
than  90  per  cent  of  the  volunteer  regiments  was 
heavily  infected  within  eight  weeks  after  going  into 
camp.  That  there  were  20,738  cases  of  the  fever  in 
a  little  army  of  107,973  men,  the  mortality  1,580, 
or  86  per  cent  of  the  mortality  from  all  causes.  Con- 
soling though  the  closing  lines  in  that  they  chronicle 
that  during  the  two  years  of  the  World  War  in  which 
approximately  4,000,000  men  served  in  the  army, 
half  of  whom  saw  service  in  France,  there  were  but 
1,065  cases  of  typhoid  fever,  that  for  the  period 
of  September  1,  1917,  to  May  2,  1919,  but  213 
deaths  were  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Surgeon  General. 
And  all  this  the  result  of  preventive  inoculation  made 
possible  through  animal  experimentation.  Pity  that 
dumb  animals  cannot  take  voice  and  air  in  full  their 
pride  for  the  sacrifices  they  have  rendered  victims  of 
the  white  plague,  victims  representing  conservatively 
one  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the  States.  Pity 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  287 

that  these  so-called  humanitarians  would  hush  the 
babblings  of  salvaged  tots,  pet  words  of  gratitude  to 
their  animal  friends,  friends  which  in  the  skillful 
hands  of  a  Flexner  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute  pre- 
ferred a  check  to  the  epidemics  of  cerebro-spinal- 
meningitis  and  poliomyelitis,  popularly  known  as  in- 
fantile paralysis.  Reluctantly  I  leave  bacteriology 
for  surgery. 

THE  ACHIEVEMENTS  IN  SUBGERY 

The  achievements  in  surgery  are  no  less  lengthy 
than  those  in  bacteriology.  There  is  the  work  of 
Ferrier,  Hitzig,  Sherrington,  Greenbaum  and  others 
who,  by  their  investigations  on  monkeys,  showed  the 
way  to  the  removal  of  a  clot  of  blood,  tumor,  or 
whatever  else  from  the  brain.  By  experiments  on 
animals  it  was  found  that  when  all  of  the  parathy- 
roids were  removed,  tetany  set  in,  and  this  showed 
the  surgeon  that  in  surgical  operations  for  goiter, 
at  least  one  parathyroid  gland  was  to  be  left  in  situ. 
Before  removing  the  larynx  for  cancer  in  man, 
Czerny  experimented  on  dogs  and  found  that  they 
survived  the  operation  and  continued  in  normal 
health  following  the  removal  of  this  organ.  This 
was  the  establishment  of  a  life-saving  operation  for 
man. 

When  Simon  in  1869  demonstrated  that  a  dog 
could  survive  the  operation  of  the  removal  of  a  kid- 
ney and  that  no  serious  consequences  followed  the 
ablation,  surgeons  took  courage  in  performing  a 
like  operation  on  man,  and  this  operation  is  com- 
monly resorted  to  to-day  when  this  organ  has  be- 
come pathologically  involved. 


288  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

The  transplantation  of  bone  or  periosteum,  first 
successfully  tried  on  dogs,  is  now  the  frequent  prac- 
tice of  the  orthopedic  surgeon. 

Forty  years  ago  a  wound  of  the  heart  bespoke 
certain  death.  In  1895  Rosenthal  and  Del  Vacchio 
successfully  sutured  the  canine  heart  and  to-day  the 
surgeon  dares  insert  the  needle  into  a  living  human 
heart  which  has  suffered  grievous  hurt  to  behold  the 
organ  renew  its  healthy  pulsing  as  if  in  rhythmic 
plaudit  of  its  healer's  skill.  Sanguine  is  the  hope 
that  with  further  advances  in  animal  experimenta- 
tion the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  surgeon's 
knife  may  find  its  way  even  to  the  heart  valves,  there 
to  set  aright  existing  anomalies. 

ACHIEVEMENTS   IN    ANIMAL   INDUSTRY 

The  achievements  of  animal  experimentation  in 
animal  industry  has  meant  fewer  losses  and  greater 
productivity,  or  paramountly  better  and  less  expen- 
sive food  and  apparel.  It  is  unquestionable  that 
every  experiment  that  has  shed  light  on  the  nature 
of  the  human  body  and  its  relation  to  its  environ- 
ment has  done  likewise  for  the  lower  animals.  Hence, 
if  the  proportion  between  the  pain  animal  experi- 
mentation has  caused  and  prevented  amongst  ani- 
mals alone  was  taken  as  the  major  factor  in  deter- 
mining whether  animal  experimentation  is  sound  or 
not,  we  would  not  be  left  in  doubt  for  a  single  mo- 
ment, for  the  pain  occasioned  is  quite  insignificant 
in  comparison  to  that  which  has  been  prevented. 

Diseases  of  animals,  like  those  of  persons,  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes,  the  infectious  and  non- 
infectious,  or  those  of  parasitic  origin  and  those  due 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  289 

to  other  causes.  I  shall  content  myself  in  discussing 
an  instance  or  two  of  the  first  type. 

Texas  fever  is  singular  in  that  it  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  disease  proved  to  attack  its 
victim  through  the  agency  of  an  intermediate  host  or 
carrier.  The  host  is  the  southern  cattle  tick.  Less 
than  fifteen  years  ago  the  prevalence  of  this  plague 
necessitated  the  maintenance  of  a  cattle  quarantine 
which  included  an  area  larger  than  three-quarters  of 
a  million  square  miles.  A  fairly  reliable  estimate 
may  be  formed  of  the  losses  entailed  when  it  is  stated 
that  a  light  infestation  reduced  the  milk  yield  of 
dairy  cows  18  per  cent,  and  a  heavy  infestation  more 
than  40  per  cent.  Add  to  this  the  loss  in  beef  pro- 
duction, the  lowered  value  of  roughened  and  scarred 
hides  and  the  deaths  due  to  the  fever,  averaging  for 
eleven  States  up  to  15  per  cent,  and  the  problem 
appears  appalling.  In  1906  the  United  States  Bu- 
reau of  Animal  Industry  inaugurated  the  methods  of 
eradicating  the  disease,  methods  quite  naturally  re- 
vealed through  animal  experimentation,  with  the 
result  that  over  a  half  million  square  miles  were  rid 
of  the  scourge  and  its  carriers. 

A  second  instance  is  tuberculosis  amongst  cattle. 
Animal  experimentation  proved  that  the  manifesta- 
tions of  tuberculosis  in  different  portions  of  the  body 
and  in  the  bodies  of  different  species  of  animals  all 
have  one  essential  cause;  it  proved  that  the  disease 
is  contagious;  it  showed  how  and  why  it  is  conta- 
gious ;  it  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  tubercle  bacillus ; 
it  proved  that  the  tubercle  bacillus  is  quickly  de- 
stroyed by  light  and  may  long  remain  alive  and  viru- 
lent in  dark  places;  it  proved  that  there  are  three 


290  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

types  of  tubercle  bacilli,  the  human,  the  bovine  and 
the  avian;  it  proved  that  human  and  avian  types 
have  no  important  significance  for  cattle;  it  proved 
that  the  avian  type  is  not  an  important  cause  of 
disease  among  mammals;  it  proved  that  the  human 
type  is  the  commoner  cause  of  tuberculosis  in  human 
beings;  it  proved  that  children  often  are  attacked 
by  the  bovine  type;  it  proved  that  the  bovine  type 
is  the  commonest  cause  of  tuberculosis  among  do- 
mestic mammals ;  it  led  to  the  discovery  of  tuberculin, 
without  which,  used  as  a  diagnostic  agent,  the  con- 
trol and  eradication  of  tuberculosis  among  food- 
producing  animals  would  be  impossible,  etc. 

If  animal  experimentation  had  not  proved  that 
tuberculosis  among  cattle  can  be  eradicated,  wholly 
exterminated,  and  its  recurrence  prevented,  without 
regard  to  its  continued  persistence  among  human 
beings,  the  cattle  tuberculosis  eradication  work,  for 
which  Congress  now  appropriates  one  and  one-half 
million  dollars  annually,  would  assume  the  character 
of  a  hopeless  and  ridiculous  project,  unless  utterly 
unreasonable  measures  were  taken  to  prevent  the 
reinfection  of  cattle  with  tubercle  bacilli  from  human 
sources.  .  .  . 

Tuberculosis  among  animals  in  the  United  States 
alone,  on  the  basis  of  the  lowest  estimate,  which  I  am 
convinced  is  far  too  low,  destroys  at  least  twenty- 
five  million  dollars'  worth  of  urgently  needed  food 
per  annum.  This  estimate  was  figured  before  the 
war,  at  a  time  when  milk  cost  the  consumer  eight 
and  not  eighteen  cents  per  quart,  and  when  prime 
roast  beef  and  porterhouse  steak  retailed  at  from 
eighteen  to  twenty-five  cents  per  pound. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  291 

I  might  further  instance  the  diseases  of  durine, 
indigenous  to  the  horse;  surra,  which  makes  little 
choice  in  its  victims;  hog  cholera,  carrying  in  its 
wake  a  yearly  loss  of  over  two  millions  of  dollars ; 
rinderpest,  food-and-mouth  disease,  anthrax,  black- 
leg and  sheep  scab,  but  these  would  carry  me  too  far 
afield.  In  concluding,  I  cannot  but  insist  that  this 
problem  of  animal  experimentation  is  one  too  serious 
to  be  weighed  solely  in  the  balance  of  sentimentality. 
Every  self-respecting  brute  would  raise  its  voice  in 
protestation  against  such  a  procedure.  The  salus 
popvli  is  clearly  the  lex  suprema  here. 


VIVISECTION  USELESS 

By  JOSEPH  D.  HARBIGAN,  M.D. 

(Practicing  physician  over  thirty  years  in  New  York 
City;  writer  on  health  topics.) 

As  a  physician  who  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  New  York  City  for  a 
period  of  over  thirty  years,  and  one  who  has  fully 
examined  both  sides  of  the  vivisection  question, 
biased  by  no  sentimentality  in  the  matter  whatsoever, 
it  affords  me  extremely  great  pleasure  to  lay  before 
the  bar  of  public  opinion  the  results  of  my  investi- 
gations, feeling  sure  the  public,  in  its  final  judgment, 
will  not  permit  vivisection  to  continue  its  existence 
as  a  "blessing  to  humanity,"  but  will  condemn  it  as 
one  of  humanity's  greatest  of  curses. 

It  is  claimed  that  opponents  of  vivisection  stand 
in  the  way  of  progress  in  medicine.  Inasmuch  as 
vivisection  has  had  full  sway  in  the  medical  profes- 
sion for  over  two  thousand  years,  this  claim  must 
be  discarded  as  ridiculous  on  its  very  face ;  also,  had 
the  results  obtained  from  the  practice  been  worth 
while,  any  opposition  that  might  have  arisen  would 
have  been  lost  in  the  dazzling  splendor  of  the  glory 
surrounding  the  long  line  of  brilliant  successes  in  this 
field — had  there  been  such  successes.  .  .  .  Were  its 
successes  bona  fide,  unclouded  and  absolutely  true 
there  would  be  few  opponents  to  vivisection.  That 

a   strong  opposition   to   the   practice   exists — ever 

292 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  293 

growing  stronger — is  due  not  to  sentimentality,  but 
to  the  growing  conviction  of  its  uselessness. 

Lister,  with  his  "wonder-working"  antiseptic  sys- 
tem of  treatment,  discarded  his  own  pet  treatment 
after  it  had  worked  widespread  mischief,  confessing 
he  was  sorry  he  had  ever  used  the  antiseptic  spray, 
etc. ;  and  yet  every  little  while  this  triumph  (!)  of 
vivisectional  magic  is  trotted  out  for  exhibition,  as 
though  aseptic  surgery  were  not  in  existence.  Lis- 
ter's well-deserved  fame  rests  upon  his  devotion  to 
cleanliness  and  not  upon  vivisection. 

So,  also,  as  regards  Harvey's  discovery  of  the  cir- 
culation of  the  blood.  Dissection  of  human  bodies  in 
the  dead  house,  whereby  he  discovered  the  peculiar 
construction  of  the  valves  in  the  veins,  this  construc- 
tion permitting  the  flow  of  blood  only  in  one  direc- 
tion, gave  him  his  most  important  clew  to  the  working 
out  of  the  problem  of  the  circulation,  and  not  vivi- 
section by  any  manner  of  means.  Sheer  reasoning 
from  observed  facts  in  the  course  of  his  dissection 
is  entitled  to  the  credit  for  his  discovery.  Had  he 
not  noted  in  dead  bodies  the  actual  construction  of 
the  veins  his  famous  discovery  might  have  been  post- 
poned indefinitely.  He  never  observed  this  peculiar- 
ity of  construction  in  the  valves  in  living  animals ;  it 
was  only  in  dead  bodies.  And  yet  the  vivisectors  try 
to  "claim"  this  discovery !  There  is  enough  evidence 
in  these  two  cases  of  Lister  and  Harvey  to  warrant 
the  finding  of  a  sweeping  verdict  against  the  vivi- 
sectors. 

This  amusing  plan  of  the  vivisectors  to  lay  claim 
to  everything  is  well  shown  in  the  matter  of  yellow 
fever  in  Havana,  which  city  was  cleaned  thoroughly 


294.  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

for  the  first  time  of  its  filth-encumbered  existence. 
In  consequence  the  miasm  of  the  yellow  fever  phase 
of  disease  hadn't  the  slightest  chance  to  develop  be- 
cause the  filth  that  helped  to  produce  the  miasm  was 
gone.  Cleaning  the  city  did  it,  but  the  vivisectors 
piratically  attempt  to  capture  the  credit  for  them- 
selves. 

The  natural  decline  in  incidence  of  epidemic  dis- 
ease is  taken  unfair  advantage  of  by  the  vivisectors. 
This  was  notably  the  case  when  diphtheria  antitoxin 
was  foisted  upon  long  suffering  humanity. 

The  epidemic  of  diphtheria,  during  which  anti- 
toxin appeared,  was  already  on  the  wane  when  this 
so-called  remedy  was  introduced,  and  it  received  the 
credit  for  driving  away  this  phase  of  disease.  Diph- 
theria had  been  on  the  decline  for  several  years  before 
antitoxin  was  in  existence,  but  good  press-agent 
work  usurped  for  antitoxin  the  credit  that  should 
have  gone  to  the  same  agency  that  caused  the  yellow 
fever  or  the  influenza  epidemic  to  vanish  for  a  while, 
just  as  they  had  done  hundreds  of  times  before,  as 
well  as  the  thousand  and  one  other  varieties  of  epi- 
demic disease  that  had  betaken  themselves  to  parts 
unknown. 

The  same  holds  good  for  the  claims  made  for  ty- 
phoid inoculations.  Every  bit  of  credit  is  given  to 
inoculation  when  typhoid  does  not  appear  in  our 
armies,  but  not  one  iota  of  credit  is  given  to  the 
workings  of  natural  causes,  or  to  the  wonderful  re- 
sults from  sanitation.  During  the  Russo-Japan  war 
inoculation  was  not  used  by  the  Japanese.  Instead 
they  made  sanitation  their  reliance,  and  as  a  result 
there  was  no  typhoid. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  295 

Apropos  of  evidence  against  inoculations,  the  fol- 
lowing appeared  in  a  New  York  paper : 

"Washington,  April  4. — Charges  of  gross  care- 
lessness and  negligence  in  preventing  and  controlling 
the  spread  of  typhoid  and  paratyphoid  fevers  in  the 
army  are  made  against  many  medical  officers  serving 
with  the  forces  overseas,  in  a  circular  published  by 
the  chief  surgeon  of  the  American  Expeditionary 
Forces  and  made  public  to-day  by  the  Public  Health 
Service  in  connection  with  a  warning  that  vaccina- 
tion does  not  give  complete  immunity  from  typhoid. 
The  chief  surgeon  cites  many  instances  where  epi- 
demics prevailed  among  troops.  In  a  brief  review 
of  the  occurrence  of  typhoid  fevers  in  the  Expedi- 
tionary Forces,  the  chief  surgeon  says  that  from 
June,  1918,  the  disease  spread  through  many  units. 
During  the  Chateau-Thierry  offensive,  the  circular 
discloses,  75  per  cent  of  the  troops  engaged  were 
afflicted  with  diarrhoeal  diseases,  such  as  simple  diar- 
rho2a,  bacillary  dysentery,  typhoid  and  paratyphoid. 
According  to  the  chief  surgeon  the  high  incidence 
of  intestinal  diseases  in  this  section  was  due  to  entire 
disregard  of  the  rules  of  sanitation.  .  .  ." 

On  the  peninsula  of  Gallipoli  there  were  96,000 
cases  of  medical  illness  during  the  short  time  the 
British  troops  were  engaged  there.  Among  these 
96,000  cases  of  disease  there  were  enteric  cases  as 
follows : 

Dysentery    17,837  cases 

Pyroxia    1,490    " 

Typhoid    425    " 

Paratyphoid    8,103    " 

Now,  very  conveniently  for  their  own  ends,  the  in- 


296  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

oculationists  have  seen  fit  to  make  distinctions  be- 
tween the  different  "phases"  of  the  one  disease  con- 
dition ;  that  is,  the  "typhoid"  condition  was  made  to 
almost  disappear,  and  paratyphoid  A,  B,  C,  D,  .  .  . 
X,  Y,  Z,  loomed  large  before  the  dust-filled  eyes  of  a 
befooled  laity. 

Absolutely  ignoring  the  fact  that  there  are 
"stages"  or  "phases"  in  disease  conditions  of  non- 
epidemic  nature — for  example,  syphilis,  tuberculosis, 
scrofula,  scorbutus,  etc. — they  had  the  audacity  and 
crass  unfairness  to  draw  sharp  lines  of  demarcation 
between  certain  of  these  "phases,"  as  though  they 
were,  pathologically,  entirely  distinct,  when  no  such 
distinction  could  by  any  manner  of  means  be  truth- 
fully said  to  exist.  If  this  wild  method  of  procedure 
were  to  prevail  throughout  all  medicine  we  would  be 
calling  the  secondary  manifestations  of  syphilis  not 
syphilis  at  all,  but  entirely  new  diseases ;  tuberculosis 
of  bone  would  be  an  entirely  different  disease  from 
tuberculosis  of  the  lungs ;  diabetes,  with  coma,  would 
be  a  distinct  disease  from  diabetes  without  coma,  etc. 

As  regards  other  phases  of  disease  such  as  poli- 
omyelitis, the  statistics  of  the  N.  Y.  Health  Depart- 
ment refute  absolutely  the  claims  made  that  Flex- 
ner,  one  of  the  vivisectors  of  the  Rockefeller  Insti- 
tute, had  done  wonders  in  wiping  this  out.  In  the 
Weekly  Bvlletvn  for  November  20,  1920,  it  states 
that  from  July  24  to  October  10  there  occurred  in 
Boston  212  cases,  of  which  40  proved  fatal. 
Throughout  Massachusetts  the  number  of  cases  was 
496. 

Every  medical  man  knows  that  despite  two  thou- 
sand  years  of  vivisectional  work  upon  the  stomach 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  297 

and  intestinal  digestion  in  the  lower  animals  com- 
paratively little  was  learned  therefrom  applicable 
to  human  beings.  The  truth  is  that  the  very  founda- 
tion and  starting  point  of  both  these  important 
studies  took  inception  from  the  observations  of  Dr. 
Beaumont,  in  the  one  case,  upon  the  terribly  injured 
stomach  of  Alexis  St.  Martin,  wounded  by  a  gunshot, 
and  in  the  other,  by  his  careful  observation  upon 
the  intestines  of  a  woman  gored  by  a  bull. 

That  there  is  something  radically  wrong  about 
the  theories  and  practice  of  medicine  goes  almost 
without  saying.  If  you  doubt  this,  just  scan  the 
statistics  of  the  influenza  epidemic  that  swept  over 
the  world  two  years  ago.  The  records  of  that  mor- 
tality are  a  disgrace  to  medicine. 

For  thirty  years — ever  since  1889-90,  when  the 
Russian  Grippe — this  age-old  scourge  of  humanity — 
came  upon  us,  the  medical  profession  had  had  won- 
derful opportunities  of  studying  this  phase  of  dis- 
ease in  its  thousand  and  one  gradations,  and  surely 
one  would  fondly  imagine  that  they  would  have  glori- 
ously mastered  it  in  these  thirty  years.  No  better 
test  could  have  been  devised  for  proving  that  the 
medical  profession  was  traveling  a  straight,  scientific 
path  to  victory — but  the  records  tell  a  sad  tale  to 
the  contrary.  The  twentieth  century  medical  won- 
der-workers were  as  helpless  in  the  face  of  this  enemy 
as  were  their  predecessors  of  years  ago.  The  situa- 
tion was  well  summed  up  in  the  despairing  cry  of  our 
medical  men:  "As  far  as  influenza  is  concerned,  we 
are  all  at  sea." 

Anyway,  should  this  have  been  the  case  with  thirty 
years  in  which  to  have  mastered  the  disease  in  all  its 


298  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

details?  There  is  no  reason,  except  one  bitterly 
humiliating,  and  that  is — the  medical  profession  are 
mistaken ;  their  medical  conceptions  of  disease  of  epi- 
demic nature  are  absolutely,  basically  wrong.  They 
are  no  further  advanced  in  their  grasp  of  what  con- 
stitute the  fundamentals  of  disease  than  were  their 
predecessors  of  two  or  three  thousand  years 
ago.  .  .  . 

Medicine  has  made  a  certain  amount  of  progress, 
but  it  has  been  in  spite  of  vivisection  and  not  because 
of  it.  This  relic  of  barbaric  research  has  been  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  progress.  It  is  a  deluded 
method  of  investigation,  keeping  its  devotees  en- 
meshed in  the  cobwebs  of  antiquity.  It  is  more  on 
a  par  with  mid-African  voodooism  than  with  Roman, 
Greek  or  American  civilization. 


VIVISECTION 

By  S.  DANA  HUBBARD,  M.D. 

(Acting  Director  Bureau  of  Public  Health  Educa- 
tion, 505  Pearl  St.,  New  York  City;  Extracts, 
from  an  article  on  the  subject,  in  the  Au- 
gust   (1920)    Bulletin,    of    the    New 
York    City    Dept.    of    Health.) 

What  is  vivisection?  A  rather  broad  and  general 
definition  of  vivisection — as  understood  and  applied 
by  laymen — is  the  dissection  or  cutting  up  of  live 
animals  in  experimentation. 

It  is  thought,  too,  by  many  that  this  is  performed 
without  anaesthetics  or  only  those  anesthetics  which 
paralyze  muscular  motion  and  do  not  prevent  pain  or 
suffering. 

Further,  that  such  experimentation  is  done  often 
simply  for  practice  or  "showing  off,"  as  it  were, 
interesting  phenomena.  That  the  vivisectors  are  men 
blind  and  deaf  to  all  evidence  of  pain  and  suffering. 
This  is  untrue.  .  .  . 

We  no  doubt  all  agree  that  experimentation,  espe- 
cially when  accompanied  by  vivisection,  should  be 
undertaken  only  by  properly  qualified  persons  and 
only  by  those  who  have  a  due  appreciation  of  their 
responsibilities  in  this  undertaking. 

Every  regard  should  be  paid  for  the  comfort  of 
the  animals  employed.  The  ultimate  aim  of  this 

299 


300  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

work  is  the  progress  of  knowledge  and  the  consequent 
relief  to  suffering  which  is  so  often  the  result  of 
ignorance. 

The  benefits  which  may  accrue  from  such  animal 
experimentation  are  felt  not  only  by  human  beings, 
but  (as  in  veterinary  practice)  by  animals  also. 

No  attempt  will  be  made  by  me  to  defend  experi- 
ments which  have  not  these  distinct  aims  in  view. 
The  ideal  experiment  is  one  performed  without  an- 
aesthesia and  without  pain.  In  many  cases  this  ideal 
can  be  realized,  but  in  others  it  is  not  obtainable. 

Pain  must  be  absent  (1)  on  the  broad  ground  of 
humanity,  (2)  because  it  is  a  far  greater  disturber  of 
the  normal  body  functions  than  anaesthetics,  and  (3) 
because  the  struggles  of  the  animal  in  pain  would 
nullify  the  accuracy  of  the  experiment,  (4)  also  such 
resistance  would  endanger  the  safety  of  the  delicate 
apparatus  which  it  is  necessary  to  employ  in  such 
work. 

Exactly  the  same  argument  applies  to  the  study 
of  experimentation  of  conditions  concerning  Aseptic 
Methods  of  Surgery.  Here  experiments  in  which 
the  animal  is  kept  alive  after  an  operation  to  study 
its  effects  must  be  accompanied  by  the  healing 
process,  which  is  then  painless,  and  if  asepsis  occurs 
there  is  absence  of  fever  and  inflammation ;  these  lat- 
ter would  complicate  the  issue  and  render  void  the 
test. 

It  is  therefore  for  two  reasons  that  experimenters 
use  both  anesthetics  and  antiseptics,  (1)  to  save  an 
animal  from  suffering  pain,  and  (2)  to  ensure  the 
success  of  the  experiment.  .  .  . 

To  understand  the  meaning  of  vital  processes  it  is 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  801 

necessary  to  study  the  living  organism,  and  to  obtain 
this  knowledge  it  is  sometimes  necessary  to  perform 
experiments  on  living  animals.  .  .  . 

Repeated  investigations  here  and  elsewhere  have 
been  made,  and  charges  made  against  experimenters 
have  been  carefully  sifted,  and  in  no  single  instance 
has  a  charge  of  cruelty  been  sustained.  All  horrify- 
ing cases  of  torture  reported  have,  in  the  light  of 
fair  analysis  and  reason,  been  abundantly  dis- 
proven.  .  .  . 

There  are  always  two  sides  to  every  question. 
Vivisection  is  no  exception — there  are  those  who 
favor  this  form  of  research  and  there  are  those  who 
oppose  it.  ... 

WHAT  VIVISECTION  HAS  DONE  FOE  HUMAN  BEINGS 
AND  ANIMALS 

The  achievements  of  research: 

Antiseptic  method  of  surgery  made  possible. 

The  many  wonders  of  modern  surgery  are  largely 
the  results  of  animal  experimentation. 

Surgery  of  the  internal  organs — stomach,  spleen, 
liver,  appendix,  intestines,  gall  stones,  kidneys  and 
female  organs  is  possible  through  the  study  of  infec- 
tion by  experimentations  on  animals. 

Modern  and  wonderful  surgery  of  the  brain  made 
possible  through  experimentation. 

The  new  surgery  of  the  chest,  including  the  heart, 
the  lungs  and  large  vessels,  made  practical  through 
experimentation  on  animals. 

Tetanus  (lockjaw)  has  been  almost  entirely  abol- 
ished. Prevention  is  possible  only  through  such  ex- 
perimentation on  the  lower  animals.  This  formerly 


302  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

often  occurred  after  operations  and  after  accidents, 
especially  pistol  shot  wounds  and  fireworks. 

Reduced  the  death  rate  in  open  fractures  (com- 
pound) from  66  in  a  hundred  fatalities  to  less  than 
one  in  a  hundred. 

Reduced  the  death  rate  in  major  female  operations 
from  66  in  a  hundred  to  from  2  to  3  in  a  hundred. 

Made  the  death  rate  in  operations  for  rupture, 
amputation,  and  removal  of  tumors  a  negligible 
factor. 

Abolished  yellow  fever — a  wonderful  triumph — 
and  through  its  sanitary  effect  on  engineering  prob- 
lems, made  possible  the  Panama  Canal.  In  this  in- 
stance human  volunteers  had  to  be  used,  and  one, 
Dr.  Lazaar,  sacrificed  his  life. 

Diminished  materially  the  ravages  of  malaria. 

Reduced  the  incidence  of  rabies  (hydrophobia). 

Devised  a  method  of  direct  transfusion  of  blood, 
which  has  saved  many  precious  lives. 

Cut  the  death  rate  of  diphtheria.  All  over  the 
world — in  European  and  American  cities  the  death 
rate  has  been  made  to  fall  from  79.9  per  100,000 
population  before  antitoxin  to  19  per  100,000  (1894 
before — 1905  after).  The  rate  is  less  than  one- 
quarter  its  former  rate. 

Reduced  the  mortality  of  epidemic  cerebro-spinal 
meningitis  from  65%  to  under  25%.  Largely  abol- 
ished post-operative  hospital  sepsis  and  gangrene, 
the  foes  of  surgical  undertaking.  Formerly  no  mat- 
ter how  brilliant  the  operation  or  the  operator,  these 
fatal  hospital  diseases,  sepsis  and  gangrene,  were  apt 
to  appear  and  destroy  the  patient. 

Made  operation  for  goiter  possible. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  303 

Aided  in  reducing  the  death  rate  of  tuberculosis. 
Koch's  discovery  of  the  germ  of  consumption  is  the 
"corner  stone"  of  all  of  our  modern  sanitary  achieve- 
ments. 

Through  animal  experimentation  the  British 
Army  abolished  malta  fever.  Before  research  this 
destroyed  in  1905,  1,300  men  of  the  garrison;  in 
1909,  after  research,  there  was  only  one  death. 

Almost  abolished  puerperal  (childbed)  fever.  Sta- 
tistics before  discovery,  5  to  57  deaths  of  mothers 
per  1,000,  while  to-day,  after  such  discovery,  the 
rate  is  1  in  1,250  births. 

Discovered  Salvarsan,  "606,"  which  bids  fair  to 
protect  many  innocent  wives  and  unborn  children. 

Typhoid  vaccine  largely  abolished  typhoid  from 
armies  of  the  world  wherever  used. 

Through  animal  experimentation  we  are  gradually 
lessening  the  ravages  of  cancer,  and  we  hope  we  are 
approaching  the  discovery  of  the  cause  of  cancer, 
poliomyelitis,  and  other  children's  diseases;  then  we 
hope  the  cure  will  quickly  follow. 

Sleeping  sickness — methods  of  transmission,  pa- 
thology and  treatment. 

Animal  experimentation  has  enormously  benefited 
animals  by  discovery  of  the  causes,  and  in  many 
cases  the  means  of  preventing,  and  in  some  a  positive 
cure.  Conspicuous  among  these  are  tuberculosis, 
rinderpest,  anthrax,  glanders,  hog  cholera,  chicken 
cholera,  lumpy  jaw,  and  other  diseases,  some  of 
which  also  attack  mankind. 

There  is  still  much  work  to  be  done — in  fact,  we 
have  just  crossed  the  threshold  of  preventing  and 
curing  of  the  infectious  diseases. 


304  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

The  work  on  malarial  fever  is  advancing  rapidly 
through  mosquito  study,  and  if  we  continue  to  pro- 
gress as  fast  as  we  have  in  the  past  ten  years,  this 
dread  disease  will  be  annihilated. 

The  pain  inflicted  in  all  the  laboratories  of  the 
world  put  together  during  an  entire  year  is  less  than 
that  which  is  every  day  inflicted  in  the  slaughter  of 
animals  for  food,  and  this,  too,  under  the  most  mod- 
ern cruelty  of  animal  supervision ;  also,  to  that  which 
farm  laborers  inflict  in  spaying  animals  by  thousands 
in  order  that  beef  and  mutton  may  be  more  tender 
or  have  a  more  pleasant  flavor;  to  that  inflicted  by 
the  hunter  when  the  victims  of  his  sport  are  imper- 
fectly shot,  die  a  lingering  death,  or  wounded,  are 
unable  to  water  and  feed  themselves  and  so  suffer 
interminably;  to  that  which  women  allow  in  order 
to  have  fine  feathers  (ospreys)  in  their  hats  and 
furs  upon  their  backs.  .  .  . 

CONCLUSION 

• 

Unnecessary  and  needless  vivisection  should  be 
stopped. 

Vivisection  by  inexperienced,  unsophisticated  and 
improper  individuals  should  be  stopped. 

All  vivisection  should  be  accompanied  by  every 
possible  precaution  to  prevent  suffering  of  all  kinds. 

No  one  should  needlessly  restrict  scientific  bodies 
in  pursuit  of  knowledge  to  aid  the  sick  or  suffering. 

That  experiments  upon  living  animals  have  proved 
of  the  utmost  service  to  mankind  in  the  past  and  are 
indispensable  to  the  future  progress  of  medicine  and 
public  health. 

While  strongly  deprecating  the  infliction  of  un- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  305 

necessary  pain,  it  is  our  opinion — alike  in  the  inter- 
est of  man  and  of  animals — that  it  is  not  desirable  to 
restrict  competent  persons  in  the  performance  of 
animal  experimentation. 

We  regret  the  widespread  lack  of  information  re- 
garding the  aims  and  achievements  and  the  pro- 
cedures of  animal  experimentation,  and  we  deplore 
the  persistent  misrepresentation  of  these  aims,  pur- 
poses and  achievements. 

We  protest  against  the  frequent  denunciation  of 
self-sacrificing,  high-minded  men  of  science  who  are 
devoting  their  lives  to  the  welfare  of  mankind  in 
efforts  to  solve  the  complicated  problems  of  living 
beings  and  their  diseases. 

It  is  our  opinion  that  unrestricted  performance 
by  proper  persons  of  scientific  experiments  upon  liv- 
ing animals  is  essential  to  the  maintenance  and  prog- 
ress of  medicine  and  its  allied  science,  biology.  .  .  . 


VIVISECTION:   CRUEL   AND  UNETHICAL 

By  DIANA  BELAIS 

(President  of  the  New  York  Anti-Vivisection  Society 

and  Editor  of  The  Open  Door,  the  National 

Anti-Vivisection    and    Animal    Magazine, 

published  at  456  Fourth  Ave.,  New 

York  City.) 

That  the  trend  of  highest  thought  and  conviction 
among  the  advanced  public  is  toward  humanitarian- 
ism  is  beyond  question.  The  recognition  of  the  altru- 
istic principle,  the  realization  that  each  of  us  is,  in 
a  large  measure,  his  brother's  keeper — all  these  con- 
cepts of  noble  conduct  are  now,  as  never  before, 
having  a  noteworthy  and  practical  influence  upon 
men  and  women  in  their  relation  to  each  other. 

The  principle  of  altruism,  then,  being  accepted  as 
a  fundamental,  necessary  part  of  our  highest  moral 
equipment,  can  we  place  any  limit  to  its  beneficence? 
Can,  indeed,  a  principle  be  limited  in  any  way?  In 
the  very  nature  of  things  is  it  not  limitless  in  its 
action,  embracing  all?  In  short,  is  it  not  like  two 
and  two  make  four — something  upon  which  we  can 
rest  fixed  and  immutable? 

This  being  so,  we  at  once  include  as  members  of 
our  world  the  entire  animal  creation.  Our  principle 
is  invariable,  and  we  must  follow  it  to  its  uttermost 

Teachings ;  while  because  of  the  humbleness  and  help- 

306 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  307 

lessness  of  our  charges  we  are  under  especial  pres- 
sure to  look  zealously  after  their  needs  and  protect 
them  from  trespass,  because  of  the  justice  which  we 
understand  and  must  unequivocally  give.  (Although 
it  is  folly  to  assert  that  an  animal  does  not  under- 
stand unjust  treatment!) 

The  cold  assumption  of  vivisectors  that  animals 
have  no  rights  within  themselves  is  the  heritage  from 
a  barbarism  which  these  self-styled  scientists  accept 
with  avidity  as  yielding  them  full  privilege  to  torture 
animals  under  the  equally  barbaric  plea  of  selfish 
utility  to  man. 

Yet  such  utility  does  not  exist.  The  claims  of  the 
vivisectors  have  become  well  known  as  spurious,  but 
their  lack  of  ethical  development  permits  them  to 
continue  their  misleading  and  false  assertions  as  to 
the  beneficial  results  from  their  "unspeakable  call- 
ing." 

The  immoral  argument  that  "the  end  justifies  the 
means" — which  is  the  argument,  though  often  not  ex- 
pressed in  so  many  words,  upon  which  vivisection 
rests — has  long  been  discarded  by  all  those  who  value 
morality  and  ethics.  Permit  me  to  point  out  here 
that  by  using  this  code  murder  itself  may  be  logi- 
cally justified  or  condoned. 

The  question  of  animal  rights  is  essentially  an 
ethical  one  because  we  ourselves  must  be  ethical  in 
our  relations  to  all  things,  at  whatever  cost,  unless 
we  are  willing  to  array  ourselves  as  being  in  the  same 
class  as  the  barbarian  and  his  progeny — the  vivi- 
sectors. 

In  the  short  space  allotted  to  me  I  can  only  de- 
clare that  the  assertions  made  by  vivisectionists  as 


308  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

to  the  diminution  of  smallpox,  typhoid  fever,  diph- 
theria, etc.,  from  vivisectional  research  and  products 
are  false.  Send  for  our  "COMPLETE  FAILURE 
OF  MEDICINE  IN  THE  WORLD  WAR,"  and 
learn  from  first  hand  statistics  how  these  disin- 
genuous vivisectors  are  deceiving  the  people  as  to 
what  were  the  actual  results  of  the  inoculations 
continually  forced  upon  those  helpless  soldiers.  Read 
our  "FOLLIES  AND  FAILURES"  of  the  various 
inoculations,  and  remember  that  Herbert  Spencer 
says:  Once  the  integrity  of  the  blood  has  been  af- 
fected by  vaccination  (or  inoculation)  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  tell  how  far-reaching  the  effects  might  be; 
and  that,  although  at  the  moment  one  might  appar- 
ently escape  evil  results,  years  later  other  serious 
diseases  may  develop  in  consequence  of  the  weakened 
and  changed  condition  of  the  blood  in  which  the  intro- 
duced poison  has  all  the  time  been  latent. 

One  of  the  grossest  and  most  sinful  assertions  is 
that  without  vivisection  no  relief  to  humanity,  no 
progress  in  medicine  would  be  possible,  and  yet  ex- 
perience is  teeming  with  facts  which  show  that  many 
non-vivisectional  schools  of  healing  are  reaping  as- 
tonishing results  in  the  relief  and  cure  of  mankind; 
results  with  which  the  vivisectional  school  cannot 
compare.  Witness  the  appalling  death  rate  under 
the  latter  treatment  in  the  recent  influenza  scourge, 
and  then  realize  that  other  schools  had  seven-eighths 
of  one  per  cent  mortality ! 

What  can  we  think  of  the  "good  will"  to  humans 
that  is  professed  by  vivisectors,  when,  in  the  face  of 
these  undeniably  beneficial  results,  they  still  ignore 
such  results  and  proceed  upon  their  cruel  way  tor- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  309 

turing  animals  and  sacrificing  human  life  to  the  vivi- 
sectional  fetish? 

Nothing  is  said  by  the  vivisector  of  Human  Vivi- 
section. Even  he  has  scarcely  the  hardihood  to  drag 
that  skeleton  from  its  secret  place.  Yet  sorrowful 
instances,  not  isolated  nor  few,  but  by  hundreds  here 
in  America,  are  embodied  in  our  publications;  in- 
stances quoted  from  the  vivisectors'  own  proud  re- 
ports. Animal  vivisection  does  not  obviate  human 
vivisection.  Far  from  it — it  invites  the  human  test. 

A  long  list  of  flaunting  frauds  is  fluttered  before 
the  eyes  of  the  unthinking  public  as  to  what  benefits 
they,  the  unthinking,  have  secured  from  this  black 
art.  From  yellow  fever,  banished  as  far  back  as  the 
Civil  War,  when  our  army  cleaned  up  New  Orleans 
— before,  be  it  well  understood,  the  germ  theory  had 
been  promulgated — down  to  the  present  day  popular 
scares,  such  as  rabies,  infantile  paralysis,  spinal 
meningitis,  etc.  (falsely  said  to  have  yielded  to  vivi- 
sectional  research),  which  are  relied  upon  by  a 
politico-medical  profession  for  advancement  into  pelf 
and  power  (the  secret  slogan  of  whom  might  well  be 
that  of  the  original  Vanderbilt,  "The  public  be 
damned"),  nothing  is  left  unfilched  by  the  frantic 
shrieks  of  the  rampant  vivisectors. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  amount  of  vivi- 
section required  (!)  to  teach  us  the  necessity  of  pure 
food.  So  palpable  a  deduction  of  simple  common 
sense  might  well  be  exercised  by  the  most  stupid  or 
sentimental  of  us  without  vivisectional  lessons.  Light 
and  air  were  well  known  as  specifics  for  tuberculosis 
long  before  the  present-day  fads  of  the  germ  theory 
and  tuberculin  were  advanced.  The  assertion  that 


310  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

animals  themselves  benefit  by  their  crucifixion 
through  vivisection  is  met  by  exact  parallel  with  the 
human.  Cleanliness  and  care  obviate  bodily  trouble. 
Carelessness  and  filth  bring  about  bodily  trouble. 
Space  is  prohibitive  to  dilate  upon  the  many  facts 
adverse  to  vivisection. 

Vivisection  has  been  fully  demonstrated  as  use- 
less, but  we  must  strongly  invoke  the  moral  and  the 
kindly  instincts  of  man  to  reach  our  further  goal. 
A  call  for  help  comes  to  us  with  resounding  force 
front  these  lowly  ones,  and  this  call  is  for  protec- 
tion. From  what?  Alas,  from  ourselves.  Alas,  that 
all  have  not  yet  realized  the  glorious,  exalting  prin- 
ciple of  altruism  toward  the  lower  animals,  so  like  us 
in  their  reason  and  in  their  instincts. 

The  vivisecting  room  is,  of  all  other  places,  that 
which  most  demands  our  undeviating  attention,  be- 
cause vivisection  can  be  nothing  else  than  cruel  and 
attended  by  atrocious  suffering,  no  matter  what  ex- 
perienced self-excusers  may  assert. 

The  plea  of  anesthesia  is  a  negligible  one,  we  know, 
because  of  the  facts  gained  from  the  Medical  Reports 
of  physicians.  Sir  Lawson  Tait,  F.R.C.S.,  says: 
"There  is  no  experimentation  possible  with  anesthe- 
sia from  which  correct  conclusions  could  be  drawn. 
If  conscious,  their  pain  invalidates  the  deduction;  if 
unconscious,  then  the  experiments  are  admittedly 
worthless  because  the  reaction  cannot  be  the  same  as 
in  a  normal  condition." 

Dr.  Hoggan,  a  pupil  of  Claude  Bernard,  the  prince 
of  vivisectors,  says  "that  complete  and  conscious 
anesthesia  of  animals  is  seldom  even  attempted," 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  311 

and  that  "anesthetics  are  the  greatest  curse  of  vivi- 
sectible  animals." 

Dr.  de  Noe  Walker  testified  before  the  English 
Royal  Commission  that  "if  it  is  supposed  that  ani- 
mals under  experimentation  are  thoroughly  insensi- 
ble, it  is  the  greatest  delusion  that  ever  was." 

Dr.  Charles  Bell  Taylor,  one  of  England's  most 
eminent  physicians  and  surgeons,  said  that  "the  only 
result  from  anesthetics  in  connection  with  animals 
was  to  anesthetize  the  public  regarding  the  great 
sufferings  inflicted  on  them  in  vivisection." 

Formerly  vivisectors  were  quite  bold  in  their  ad- 
missions of  cruelty,  but  latterly  they  have  become 
more  cautious.  It  is  owing  to  the  increase  of  humane 
sentiment  and  conviction  that  the  public  attitude  of 
the  vivisector  is  entirely  changed.  He  cries:  "Be- 
hold in  me  an  impeccably  humane  man!  I  never 
commit  cruelty,  nor  have  I  ever  seen  it  in  vivisec- 
tion !" 

This  crawling  to  cover,  this  reversal  alone,  dem- 
onstrates forcibly  how  strong  is  the  pressure  of 
public  opinion,  and  brings  clearly  before  the  mind 
the  weight  of  the  duty  devolving  upon  each  one  of 
us  to  do  our  part  in  upholding  and  spreading  the 
enlightened  gospel  of  humanitarianism.  Let  this  be 
encouragement  to  all.  It  means  a  very  great  deal ! 

That  the  cruelty  and  debasing  effects  of  vivisec- 
tion are  more  than  the  normal  mind  can  readily  con- 
ceive is  well  shown  by  Pirogoff's  astounding,  spon- 
taneous confession:  "One  day,  as  I  remember,  this 
indifference  to  the  agony  of  animals  undergoing  vivi- 
section struck  me  with  such  force  that,  with  my  knife 


312  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

still  in  my  hand,  I  involuntarily  exclaimed,  turning 
to  the  comrade  who  was  assisting  me :  'Why,  at  this 
rate  we  might  cut  a  man's  throat !'  " 

What  an  ennobling  profession — that  of  the  vivi- 
sector!  Must  we  continue  to  carry  this  scorpion 
upon  our  backs  to  our  certain  moral  and  physical 
destruction  ? 


AUTHOR'S  COMMENT 

We  have  read  with  interest  and  appreciation  the 
pro  and  anti  vivisection  articles  herein  presented. 
Nevertheless,  years  of  study  on  the  subject  (despite 
the  fact  that  we  believed  in  vivisection  when  gradu- 
ated from  the  medical  college)  have  convinced  us 
that  vivisection  is  unnecessary.  There  are  scientific 
and  harmless  methods  by  means  of  which  the  causes 
and  prevention  as  well  as  treatment  of  human  ail- 
ment may  be  ascertained.  What  are  they  ?  Listen : 

There  is  only  one  way  for  every  human  being  to 
obtain  and  maintain  health;  that  is — to  live  natu- 
rally! We  must  live  consistently  with  nature's  laws 
— a  thing  we  seldom  do  in  our  twentieth  century  mad 
struggle  for  existence.  Only  in  proportion  to  our 
ability  to  comply  with  nature's  laws,  and  to  the  ex- 
tent that  we  actually  apply  her  laws,  can  we  main- 
tain our  health.  Every  other  method  or  attempt  on 
the  part  of  man  is  artificial,  temporary  and  passive 
at  best,  with  perhaps  few  exceptions. 

If  the  economic  whip  that  lashes  the  majority  of 
humanity  into  haste,  prejudice,  fear,  intolerance  and 
submission  were  removed,  and  if  the  people  were 
taught  the  importance  and  beauty  of  simple,  whole- 
some living,  such  subjects  as  vivisection,  germ  the- 
ories, vaccination  and  the  like  would  not  exist;  or 
if  they  did,  they  would  be  studied  from  an  academic 

standpoint  by  those  who  would  have  plenty  of  time 

313 


314.  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

and  be  curious  enough  to  know  what  humanity  used 
to  believe. 

We  simply  mean  this :  Instead  of  consigning  mil- 
lions of  healthy  living  animals  to  slow  death  by 
starvation  or  vicious  experiment  in  the  name  of 
science  and  health,  why  not  see  to  it  that  the  human 
being  has  an  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  natural  medi- 
cines that  nature  has  provided  for  him,  such  as  air, 
sunshine,  good  food,  clear  water,  rest  and  the  like — 
the  lack  of  which  lowers  resisting  power  and  pro- 
duces groups  of  abnormal  manifestations  or  symp- 
toms called  disease?  Why  not  see  to  it  that  they 
have  sufficient  exercise,  bathe  often,  get  plenty  of 
rest  and  wholesome  amusement?  See  to  it  that  they 
understand  the  importance  of  wearing  clothes  that 
are  conducive  to  comfort.  See  to  it  that  they  have  a 
good  elementary  education  and  understand  the  sub- 
ject of  sex  (the  ignorance  of  which  diseases  and  kills 
millions  annually).  See  to  it  that  they  have  an  in- 
terest in  human  welfare  and  delight  in  doing  some- 
thing useful. 

Further,  why  not  teach  the  people  the  health- 
producing  power  of  love,  and  encourage  marriage  on 
the  basis  of  love  only  ?  Thus  thousands  who  are  hys- 
terical and  psychically  (and  physically)  ill  would  be 
well.  Teach  them  not  to  carry  hatred  or  malice  in 
their  hearts  against  any  person,  no  matter  how  he 
may  have  offended,  injured  or  differed  with  them. 
Teach  them  to  forgive  and  forget. 

Why  not  teach  them  not  to  rush  for  gold — for 
they  may  be  exhausted  and  diseased  by  the  time  they 
have  "succeeded,"  or  even  die  in  the  attempt  ?  Teach 
them  that  our  double  standard  of  morality,  and  our 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  315 

conventional,  hypocritical  manners  of  living  are  un- 
healthful  and  disease-producing. 

If  the  people  only  knew  the  things  they  are  kept 
from  knowing  and  had  favorable  conditions  to  live 
under,  there  would  be  no  use  for  vivisection. 

Can  vivisection  prevent  or  cure  industrial  dis- 
eases? Can  it  avoid  the  "break  downs,"  the  prema- 
ture aging  and  premature  deaths  of  millions  of  work- 
ers as  a  result  of  chronic  fatigue,  or  "over  time?" 

Can  vivisection  prevent  or  cure  child  labor?  Will 
inoculating  the  blood  with  a  serum  affect  this? 
Better  first  learn  the  real  cause  of  disease,  then  re- 
move it,  instead  of  wasting  time  treating  effects. 

Surely  every  normal  adult  knows  that  poverty  has 
never  been  conducive  to  health.  It  breeds  fear, 
gloom,  indigestion  and  disease.  If  poverty  is  a  cause 
of  disease,  and  we  all  admit  that  it  is,  then,  how 
would  vivisection — supposed  to  prevent  illness,  re- 
move poverty — the  greatest  destroyer  of  human 
health  and  happiness? 

Sincere  as  most  vivisectionists  are,  they  are  not 
solving  the  health  problem;  they  are  dabbling  not 
with  causes  of  disease  but  with  effects.  They  are 
miles  from  the  real  causes  of  disease,  which  are  not 
due  to  having  flirted  with  a  pretty  Germ, — but,  are, 
in  reality  social,  economic,  psychic  and  sexual  in 
character. 

Probably  millions  of  children  grow  up  in  ignorance 
of  their  procreative  functions  and  abuse  themselves 
sexually,  which  results  in  various  mental  and  physical 
disturbances,  called  this  and  that  disease.  Some- 
times the  continuous  violation  of  nature's  laws  in 
this  direction  leads  to  a  depleted  condition  or  physi- 


316  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

cal  bankruptcy  we  call  tuberculosis.  Would  the  in- 
oculating of  a  serum  or  vaccine  remove  the  cause  or 
cure  these  victims  of  sex  ignorance?  How  could 
vivisection  help  this  condition? 

As  to  the  so-called  "children's"  diseases,  such  as 
scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  smallpox,  measles,  typhoid 
fever  and  the  like  (brought  on  largely  by  overfeed- 
ing, erroneous  feeding,  vaccination  and  not  heeding 
nature's  call),  we  find  no  evidence  that  vivisection  has 
helped  to  stamp  these  out.  Sanitation  and  reduc- 
tion of  fear  have  done  as  much  as  any  two  items 
could  do  to  lessen  these  and  similar  so-called  "con- 
tagious" diseases.  Statistics  on  this  matter  lie  as 
outrageously  as  possible  and  add  nothing. 

Among  the  many  interesting  clippings  we  have  on 
file  that  prove  how  vivisection  has  "decreased"  (?) 
diphtheria,  scarlet  fever  and  the  like,  we  present  only 
two  which  we  have  noticed  in  the  Bridgeport  Tele- 
gram recently.  They  illustrate  and  speak  for  them- 
selves to  those  whose  eyes  can  see,  ears  can  hear 
and  brain  can  think. 

CASES  OF  DIPHTHERIA  INCREASED  FOR  WEEK 

"Hartford,  Dec.  20,  1920.— The  161  new  cases  of  diphtheria 
reported  for  last  week,  says  the  weekly  report  of  the  state 
department  of  health,  represents  the  greatest  prevalence  of  this 
disease  during  1S20.  Scarlet  fever  remains  high  with  142  cases 
and  is  spreading  over  the  state  from  the  larger  population 
centers.  Whooping  cough  and  measles  have  appeared  west  of 
the  Connecticut  river  during  the  past  week,  but  present  no 
signs  of  becoming  epidemic." 

CONTAGIOUS   DISEASES    INCREASE   ABOUT   STATE 

"Hartford,  Jan.  4,  1921. — Diphtheria  and  scarlet  fever  are 
increasing  in  Connecticut,  according  to  the  weekly  report  issued 
by  the  state  department  of  health.  Diphtheria  cases  reported 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  817 

last  week  numbered  114  as  against  94  the  week  before,  and 
scarlet  fever  cases  were  145  as  against  140  previous  week.  Two 
cases  of  trichinosis  were  reported  in  Waterbury.  This  is  a 
disease  due  to  eating  under-cooked  pork." 

One  step  further :  Let  us  say,  for  a  moment,  that 
vivisection  has  accomplished  what  it  claims.  Of 
what  permanent  value  are  these  accomplishments? 
Most  people  know  that  we  have  more  sickness  to-day 
than  ever  before.  If  vivisection  is  such  an  effective 
thing  and  prevents  illness  at  the  unusual  rate  that 
some  claim  for  it,  why  is  it  that  cancer  and  tubercu- 
losis are  on  an  increase  despite  so  much  work  in 
"prevention"? 

During  the  "Spanish"  influenza  scare,  what  did 
vivisection  accomplish?  Nothing,  as  far  as  really 
preventing  or  curing  is  concerned.  The  serums  that 
were  used  by  some  were  ineffective  or  fatal  in  most 
cases.  Physicians  from  all  schools  denounced  serums. 
Some  concluded  that  the  only  real  thing  that  may 
give  immunity  from  the  "flu"  was  to  wear  a  mask — as 
if  we  already  did  not  wear  one  on  our  faces  before. 
Here  was  a  genuine  chance  for  vivisection  to  show  its 
right  to  continue  its  work  and  merit  the  cooperation 
of  all  truth-loving  people.  Did  it  do  any  good? 
Ask  the  undertakers.  They  know. 

Some  vivisectors  tell  the  people  that  there  are  very 
few  medical  men  who  are  opposed  to  vivisection. 
The  author  quotes  only  a  few  of  the  many  names 
before  him. 

MEDICAL    OPINIONS    AGAINST    VIVISECTION 

Austin,  A.  Eugene,  M.D.,  A.M.,  New  York  City. 
I    do    not    approve    of    animal    vivisection.     No 


318  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

truths  have  been  learned  by  animal  experimentation 
that  could  not  have  been  learned  in  other  ways. 

Bigger,  Henry  R,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Vivisection,  unfortunately,  is  too  frequently  per- 
formed for  no  other  purpose  than  to  advertise  the 
vivisector  or  for  the  gratification  of  the  vivisector's 
curiosity — a  motive  not  to  be  confounded  with  zeal 
for  discovery.  .  .  . 

Blackwood,  William  R.  D.,  M.D.,  Brig.  Gen.  Engi- 
neers, U.  S.  A.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Vivisection  is  a  crime,  and  its  perpetrators  and  de- 
fenders neither  hesitate  any  cruelty   or  mendacity 
in  prosecuting  their  inhuman  work.  .  .  . 

Bullard,  J.  Arthur,  M.D.,  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa. 

.  .  .  Notwithstanding  the  vivisector's  monoto- 
nous overflow  of  words,  he  cannot  prove  to  me — an 
active  practitioner  for  forty-six  years — that  any- 
thing has  been  accomplished  that  could  not  have 
been  done  without  the  cruel,  needless  torture  of 
thousands  of  dumb  animals. 

Caulkings,  R,  M.D.,  Hornell,  N.  Y. 

I  am  opposed  to  vivisection.  Dangerous  vaccines 
are  permitted  to  be  used  on  innocent  children  and 
vile  diseases  are  inoculated  into  them  in  charitable 
institutions.  Inoculation  is  a  menace  to  the  coun- 
try. Hog  cholera  and  Foot  and  Mouth  disease  were 
introduced  by  vaccine  virus,  and  vivisection  is  prac- 
ticed to  produce  more  vaccines. 

Close,  Stuart,  M.D.,  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

I  am  a  confirmed  anti-vivisectionist  and  have  op- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  319 

posed  this  horrible  perversion  of  science  with  all  the 
means  at  my  command  for  many  years.  I  have  also 
opposed  vaccination  and  serum-vaccine  therapy  as 
fearlessly  and  vigorously  as  I  have  vivisection,  be- 
lieving them  all  to  be  wholly  pernicious  and  a  curse 
to  the  human  race. 

Cooper,  William  Colby,  M.D.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

I  herewith  submit  that  if  the  question  is  sifted  to 
its  dregs,  it  will  be  found  that  the  whole  of  vivisec- 
tion hangs  on  scientific  vanity ;  hangs  upon  tentative 
or  provisional  scientific  results,  and  upon  the  esthet- 
ics of  physical  agony !  .  .  . 

Dulles,  Chas.  W.,  M.D.,  Prof.  Medical  History,  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania. 

From  personal  knowledge,  I  believe  animal  experi- 
mentation to  be  a  crying  evil,  not  only  cruel  to  our 
fellow  creatures,  but  also  demoralizing  in  its  effects 
upon  those  who  inflict,  and  those  who  witness,  the 
prolonged  sufferings  of  animals  subject  to  experi- 
mentation. 

Fraser,  J.  B.,  M.D.,  Toronto,  Canada. 

From  Hippocrates'  time  down  to  the  present, 
the  men  who  did  most  to  advance  medical  science 
were  those  who  paid  particular  attention  to  reliev- 
ing distress  in  man ;  but  among  those  honored  names 
we  find  no  vivisectionists,  for  the  reason  that  the  lat- 
ter dissipate  their  energies  in  causing  distress  to 
animals. 

Flower,  A.  H.,  M.D.,  Boston,  Mass. 

I   am   unalterably   opposed   to   vivisection.      The 


320  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

moral  damage  to  experimenters,  to  students,  and  to 
the  society  that  tolerates  vivisection  far  outweighs 
any  possible  benefits. 

Hodge,  Jn.  W.,  M.D.,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

I  am  strongly,  wholly  and  unalterably  opposed  to 
the  practice  of  vivisecting  the  sub-human  groups  of 
animals.  I  regard  the  practice  as  cruel,  unmanly, 
useless,  and  criminal.  .  .  . 

Hutchinson,  Jno.,  M.D.,  New  York  City. 

My  chief  objection  to  vivisection  is  that  its  results 
are  baneful  to  mankind.  .  .  . 

Laighton,  Florence  M.,  M.D.,  New  York  City. 
I  am  entirely  opposed  to  vivisection. 

Simon,  Carlton,  M.D.,  New  York  City. 

Why  I  am  against  vivisection.  Ethically — I  am 
against  vivisection  because  no  man  has  the  right  to 
give  unnecessary  pain  to  any  living  creature.  To 
wantonly  give  pain  is  to  develop  a  sense  of  brutality, 
blunting  the  finer  sensibility  in  man's  moral  mind. 

Spiritually — No  man  dare  deny  any  living  creature 
the  right  of  soul  life  or  the  mission  of  divine  purpose 
in  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

Medically — No  experiment  in  vivisection  has 
helped  the  human  race,  aside  from  personal  aggran- 
dizement, no  matter  how  individual  statistics  may 
have  endeavored  to  fallaciously  prove. 

Todd,  F.  H.,  M.D.,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

I  have  never  practiced  vivisection,  but  have  wit- 
nessed it  to  my  horror  and  disgust.  I  am  anxious 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  821 

to  help  to  put  a  stop  to  the  useless,  horrible  practice 
of  animal  torture  and  cruelty  practiced  in  medical 
colleges  and  large  hospitals.  My  experience  of  forty 
years'  study,  observation,  and  clinical  experience 
teaches  me  that  nothing  has  been  discovered  of  any 
practical  value  by  animal  experimentation,  or  that 
has  prolonged  life  or  saved  suffering.  The  practice 
has  rather  steeled  certain  doctors  to  take  desperate 
chances  on  humans,  in  order  to  satisfy  their  morbicl 
curiosity. 

CONCLUSION 

The  issue,  vivisection,  has  been  clearly  set  forth  in 
the  above  articles  by  persons  of  distinction  and  ex- 
perience. The  reader  is  at  liberty  to  chose  his  side 
in  the  controversy.  It  is  such  a  vital  matter  that 
no  reader  should  feel  content  without  reaching  a  con- 
clusion, no  matter  how  many  articles,  pamphlets  or 
books  it  may  require  reading  or  how  much  study — 
without  haste  or  prejudice.  It  only  remains  for  him 
to  take  his  stand  with  the  side  of  greatest  human 
appeal,  which  promises  the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number.  This  means  progress  in  the  health 
of  the  world. 


WHERE  YOU  MAY  GET  MORE  INFOR- 
MATION 

I.  If  you  desire  literature  or  further  information 
as  to  how  vivisection  has  helped  the  human  race  by 
preventing  illness  and  the  like,  write  to: 

Dr.  Simon  Flexner,  care  of  The  Rockefeller  In- 
stitute for  Medical  Research,  66th  Street  and  Avenue 
A,  New  York  City. 

Dr.  F.  A.  Tondorf,  Department  of  Physiology, 
Georgetown  University,  Medical  School,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

Dr.  S.  Dana  Hubbard,  Bureau  of  Public  Health 
Education,  505  Pearl  Street,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  W.  W.  Keen,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Dr.  W.  B.  Cannon,  Boston,  Mass. 

Dr.  A.  R.  Craig,  Secretary,  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, 535  N.  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

United  States  Department  of  Health,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

Any  State  or  Local  Boards  of  Health. 

II.  If  you  desire  literature  or  further  information 
as  to  how  vivisection  has  not  helped  the  human  race 
but  caused  illness  and  untimely  death,  write  to  any  of 
the  following: 

Diana  Belais,  Editor  The  Open  Door — the  Na- 
tional Anti-Vivisection  and  Animal  Magazine,  and 
President  of  the  N.  Y.  Anti- Vivisection  League,  456 

4th  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City. 

322 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  323 

Living  Tissue  (Official  organ,  N.  E.  Anti-Vivisec- 
tion Society),  Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 

The  Abolitionist  (The  British  Anti-Vivisection 
Magazine),  32  Charing  Cross,  S.  W.  I.,  London, 
England. 

Dr.  Joseph  D.  Harrigan  (Jamaica),  New  York 
City. 

Lora  C.  Little,  Secretary,  American  Medical  Lib- 
erty League,  59  E.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

L.  Loat,  Secretary,  The  National  Anti- Vaccination 
League  of  England,  and  Editor  of  The  Vaccination 
Inquirer,  25  Denison  House,  Vauxhill  Bridge  Road, 
London,  S.  W.  I. 

American  Anti-Vivisection  Society,  22  So.  18th 
St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Mary  C.  Yarrow,  "The  Normandie,"  Chestnut  and 
36th  Sts.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Nellie  C.  Williams,  214  Riverside  Drive,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

Mrs.  Rosamond  Rae  Wright,  5035  Stratford 
Road,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

Venia  Kercheval,  Secretary,  California  Anti-Vivi- 
section Society,  1820  Upperton  Ave.,  Los  Angeles, 
Cal. 

Mrs.  Anna  B.  Clancy,  Secretary,  California  Fed- 
eration of  Anti-Vivisection  Societies,  641  O'Farrell 
St.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

M.  M.  Getz,  45  Kearny  St.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Attorney  George  Gelder,  Easton  Bldg.,  428  13th 
St.,  Oakland,  Cal. 


The  vaccination  issue  is  the  most  important  and 
popular  issue  on  health  before  the  people  in  America 
to-day.  Many  physicians  from  all  schools  of  medi- 
cine, who  formerly  believed  in  vaccination,  are  now 
opposed  to  it. 

If  any  doubt  that  vaccination  is  a  living  issue  at 
the  present  time  we  refer  them  to  the  recent  elections 
in  the  States  of  California  and  Oregon,  where  the 
people  participated  in  a  referendum  vote  on  the 
issue  of  compulsory  vaccination  and  other  health 
issues.  It  took,  I  believe,  over  one  hundred  thou- 
sand signatures,  on  the  part  of  the  people,  in  these 
two  states,  to  officially  place  this  issue  before  the 
voting  citizens  in  the  regular  election.  This  fact  is 
on  record  and  surely  proves  at  least,  one  thing, — 
that  the  subject  of  vaccination  is  an  issue,  and  that 
doctors  as  well  as  laymen  differ  on  the  subject. 

The  American  Medical  Liberty  League  (59  E. 
Van  Buren  St.,  Chicago,  111.),  through  its  secretary, 
Lora  C.  Little,  in  her  reports,  through  its  official 
organ — The  Truth  Teller  (published  at  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.) — informs  us  of  new  medical  liberty 
leagues  being  formed  throughout  the  country.  If 
those  who  organize  and  join  these  leagues  did  not 
consider  vaccination  an  issue — especially  compul- 
sory vaccination,  why  should  new  leagues  be  formed? 

And  why  should  they  be  on  an  increase? 

324 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  325 

Most  of  you  have  read  in  the  daily  press  of  pro- 
tests on  the  part  of  parents  to  their  local  Boards  of 
Health,  who  tried  to  make  vaccination  compulsory 
before  admitting  children  to  school.  Do  not  these 
local  protests  prove  that  some  parents  consider  com- 
pulsory medication  a  violation  of  their  constitutional 
rights?  Does  this  not  prove  that  vaccination  is  an 
issue? 

In  many  states,  including  Massachusetts,  Connecti- 
cut and  New  York,  of  which  we  have  personal  knowl- 
edge, many  anti-vaccination  and  anti-vivisection  so- 
cieties send  representatives  to  the  legislative  commit- 
tees every  year  asking  for  the  repeal  of  the  compulsory 
clauses  in  the  vaccination  laws  and  protesting  against 
other  medical  abuses.  You  will  find  before  these  leg- 
islative committees,  attorneys,  ministers,  physicians 
and  laymen  of  a  liberal  and  progressive  nature,  either 
representing  organizations  or  protesting  in  an  in- 
dividual capacity.  All  these  prove  conclusively  that 
vaccination  is  an  issue. 

The  two  following  articles  will  present  to  the  read- 
ers of  "Timely  Truths  on  Human  Health,"  a  brief 
outline  of  the  subject — reserving  Author's  Com- 
ments for  the  last. 


VACCINATION  UPHELD 

(From  a  lecture,  written  by  DR.  F.  E.  STEWART  and 

DR.  W.  F.  ELGIN,  of  the  H.  K.  Mulford  Co., 

Philadelphia,  Pa.) 

Smallpox,  or  variola,  is  an  acute,  highly  infectious 
and  contagious  disease  occurring  in  all  countries, 
and  characterized  by  the  sudden  onset  of  a  high  fever, 
followed  in  about  three  days  by  an  eruption  of  the 
skin,  which  passes  through  the  successive  stages  of 
papule,  vesicle,  desiccation,  and  desquamation. 

Smallpox  is  one  of  the  most  fatal  and  hideous  of 
diseases.  Those  who  recover  are  usually  disfigured 
for  life.  Total  blindness  is  not  an  uncommon  result. 

History:  Smallpox  prevailed  in  China  many  cen- 
turies before  the  Christian  era.  It  was  first  accur- 
ately described  by  Rhazes,  an  Arabian  physician, 
1,000  years  before  Christ.  The  Great  Plague,  de- 
scribed by  Galen  (A.  D.  130-200),  and  the  Black 
Death,  which  prevailed  in  epidemic  form  in  Europe, 
were  doubtless  smallpox,  "Pestilence"  and  "Plague" 
being  used  synonymously  with  smallpox  and  other 
eruptive  fevers.  Smallpox  prevailed  in  the  sixth  cen- 
tury and  again  during  the  Crusades.  In  Hindoostan, 
according  to  the  tradition  of  the  Brahmins,  it  is  of 
remote  antiquity.  Several  goddesses  worshiped  in 
India  were  supposed  to  preside  over  smallpox  and  to 

determine  the  fate  of  those  afflicted  with  the  disease. 

326 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  327 

Among  the  ancient  Romans  the  first  authentic 
description  of  the  disease  was  given  by  Philo,  a 
Jewish  author  who  lived  during  the  time  of  the  Ro- 
man Emperor  Claudius  Caesar  (40  A.  D.). 

In  570  A.  D.  Marius,  of  Avenches,  Bishop  of 
Lausanne,  referred  to  a  condition  as  variola,  this 
being  the  first  mention  of  the  word  in  literature. 

Smallpox  was  known  in  Arabia  in  569  A.  D.,  and 
was  found  existing  in  Japan  when  Europeans  first 
visited  that  country.  The  Code  Annals  of  Ulster 
reports  that  in  679  a  grievous  leprosy  prevailed  in 
Ireland,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  smallpox. 

The  Harlein  collection  of  the  British  museum  con- 
tains an  Anglo-Saxon  manuscript  written  in  the 
tenth  century,  one  of  the  pious  exhortations  of  which 
is  as  follows : 

"In  the  name  of  Father,  of  the  Son  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  Amen.  May  our  Saviour  help  us,  Oh  Lord 
of  Heaven !  Hear  the  prayers  of  Thy  man-servants 
and  of  Thy  maid-servants.  Oh  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
I  beseech  thousands  of  angels  that  they  may  save 
and  defend  me  from  the  fire  and  power  of  smallpox 
and  protect  me  from  the  danger  of  death.  Oh 
Christ  Jesus,  incline  Your  ears  to  us." 

This  affecting  prayer  shows  strongly  the  terror 
which  the  smallpox  inspired  at  that  time. 

Smallpox  is  believed  to  have  been  introduced  into 
America  by  the  Spaniards,  it  having  first  appeared 
in  Mexico  in  1518.  It  broke  out  in  Massachusetts 
in  1633. 

Cause  of  Smallpox.  The  cause  of  smallpox  is  un- 
known. The  disease  is  probably  due  to  a  living  germ 
of  vegetable  or  animal  origin — i.  e.,  bacterial  or  pro- 


328  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tozoan.  Streptococci,  though  often  found  in  the 
smallpox  vesicles  and  pustules,  and  often  contribut- 
ing materially  to  the  production  of  a  fatal  outcome, 
may  be  regarded  as  secondary  in  significance. 

Mortality.  Before  the  introduction  of  vaccina- 
tion, smallpox  was  the  greatest  scourge  that  ever  af- 
fected the  human  race.  In  1786  Junker  wrote  that 
400,000  lives  were  lost  yearly  by  smallpox.  In  1803 
King  Frederick  William,  of  Prussia,  in  an  edict, 
stated  that  40,000  died  annually  in  Prussia  of  the 
disease.  From  1761  to  1800,  in  the  city  of  London, 
there  was  an  average  death  rate  of  2,037  persons 
yearly  from  smallpox.  From  1700  to  1800  it  is 
estimated  that  an  average  of  600,000  persons  died 
yearly  from  smallpox  throughout  the  world. 

The  general  fatality  of  smallpox  among  those 
who  have  never  been  vaccinated  is  greatest  in  chil- 
dren between  one  and  ten  years  of  age,  reaching  as 
high  as  58  per  cent.  Before  Jenner's  discovery,  it  is 
estimated  that  one-tenth  of  all  the  children  born 
died  of  smallpox.  Between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and 
twenty  the  fewest  deaths  occur.  After  the  fortieth 
year,  and  as  old  age  approaches,  the  fatality  is  again 
high. 

Prognosis.  In  general  the  prognosis  is  worse  in 
women  than  in  men,  on  account  of  the  complications 
of  child-birth  and  the  conditions  which  favor  the 
hemorrhagic  variety  of  the  disease.  On  the  other 
hand,  among  men,  irregular  habits  and  the  excessive 
use  of  alcohol  increase  the  death  rate.  Among  dis- 
solute persons  of  both  sexes  the  prognosis  is  very 
grave.  Badly  nourished  and  overworked  people, 
confined  to  dark  and  ill-ventilated  rooms,  and  those 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  329 

depressed  by  scrofula,  syphilis,  tuberculosis,  or  those 
convalescing  from  fevers  or  other  diseases,  readily 
succumb  to  it. 

The  death  rate  is  usually  higher  at  the  commence- 
ment of  an  epidemic  than  at  its  close,  because  those 
most  susceptible  or  wholly  unprotected  are  usually 
first  attacked. 

Varieties.  The  simplest  form  is  known  as  the 
discrete  variety.  If  the  pustules  be  so  close  to  each 
other  that  they  join,  the  case  is  confluent.  The  va- 
riety with  bloody  infiltration  is  called  hemorrhagic, 
or  black  smallpox.  In  the  form  of  black  smallpox 
practically  all  patients  die.  In  the  confluent  form, 
more  than  three-fourths  die.  In  the  semi-confluent 
form,  about  one-half  die,  and  in  the  discrete,  one- 
fourth  to  one-twentieth. 

Ancient  Method  of  Obtaining  Immunity  by  Inocu- 
lation. Centuries  before  the  Christian  era  the  Chi- 
nese observed  the  immunity  against  a  second  attack 
enjoyed  by  those  who  had  survived  the  smallpox.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  attempted  to  obtain  immunity  by  a 
peculiar  method  known  as  "sowing  the  smallpox." 
It  was  generally  performed  by  planting  some  of  the 
crusts  from  smallpox  patients  in  the  nostril.  Small- 
pox communicated  in  this  manner  almost  invariably 
resulted  in  a  mild  attack,  recovery  from  which  left 
the  patient  immune.  The  Brahmins  had  also  dis- 
covered that  the  inoculation  of  smallpox  produced 
the  true  disease  in  a  mild  form,  so  that  the  malady 
proved  fatal  only  to  one  in  one  hundred,  or,  under 
the  most  favorable  circumstances,  one  in  three  hun- 
dred. Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  wife  of  the 
British  Ambassador  to  Turkey,  became  acquainted 


330  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

with  the  method  and  introduced  the  idea  of  inocula- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  protection  into  England  in 
1718.  The  practice  was  extensively  employed  in 
England  in  1718,  and  on  the  continent,  but  after  a 
time  it  became  evident  that  while  immunity  was  se- 
cured in  the  inoculated  person,  the  disease  thus  in- 
duced could  be  spread  as  readily  as  by  the  natural 
form,  and  the  practice  was  abandoned.  It  is  thought 
that  the  severity  of  some  of  the  widespread  and  fatal 
epidemics  was  greatly  increased  by  this  procedure. 

Vaccination — Jenner's  Discovery — Artificial  Im- 
munity against  Smallpox.  The  first  really  scientific 
step  in  the  production  of  artificial  immunity  against 
smallpox  may  be  accredited  to  Edward  Jenner,  an 
English  physician  (born  in  1749  and  died  in  1823), 
who,  in  1789,  announced  that  immunity  to  smallpox 
could  be  produced  by  vaccination. 

The  peasantry  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  par- 
ticularly in  England,  believed  that  sores  on  the  hands 
of  persons  who  milked  cows  affected  with  cowpox  con- 
ferred immunity  from  the  disease. 

Jenner,  while  a  student,  learned  of  the  traditions 
on  this  subject  and  mentioned  them  to  his  preceptor, 
John  Hunter.  He  settled  the  question  in  1796  when 
he  vaccinated  a  boy,  James  Phipps,  with  matter  from 
a  kine-pock  on  the  hand  of  a  dairy-maid,  Sarah 
Nelnes,  and  on  July  first  introduced  into  this  boy 
infectious  matter  from  a  smallpox  pustule  without 
effect.  Two  years  later — in  June,  1798 — he  pub- 
lished "An  Inquiry  Into  the  Causes  and  Effects  of 
the  Variolae  Vaccine,"  and  within  a  year  or  two  vac- 
cination became  general  over  the  continent  of 
Europe. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  331 

In  May,  1800,  vaccination  was  adopted  in  the 
English  Army,  and  shortly  afterward  in  the  Navy; 
and  in  July  of  the  same  year  a  declaration  was  signed 
by  many  of  the  medical  men  in  London  expressing 
their  confidence  in  its  practice. 

Vaccination  was  introduced  in  the  United  States 
July  8,  1811.  Benjamin  Waterhouse,  "Professor  of 
Physick,"  Harvard  University,  vaccinated  his  own 
children,  and  John  Coxe,  of  Philadelphia,  vaccinated 
his  oldest  child  about  the  same  time,  and  then  tested 
the  experiment  by  exposing  him  to  the  influence  of 
smallpox.  The  reliance  on  the  protective  power  of 
vaccination  in  America  was  strengthened  materially 
by  this  bold  act.  President  Jefferson  was  instru- 
mental in  introducing  vaccination  in  the  southern 
United  States. 

Immense  Benefit  Conferred  upon  Humanity  by 
Vaccination.  The  immense  benefit  conferred  upon 
humanity  by  vaccination  may  be  estimated  from  the 
following  facts  and  statistics : 

In  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when 
smallpox — which  at  first  assumed  epidemic  form  in 
Europe  about  1700 — had  become  a  veritable  scourge, 
it  suddenly  began  to  decline,  and  this  decline  con- 
tinued for  decade  after  decade  until  the  disease  lost 
its  terrors,  and  the  great  majority  of  physicians  had 
never  so  much  as  even  seen  a  case.  How  was  this 
almost  miraculous  change  to  be  accounted  for? 
There  can  be  but  one  reply  to  this  query :  the  intro- 
duction of  protective  vaccination  by  Jenner  and  its 
general  adoption  has  controlled  and  practically  erad- 
icated smallpox. 

A  thorough  and  continuous  practice  of  vaccination 


832  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

would  blot  out  smallpox  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Numerous  statistics  prove  the  value  of  vaccina- 
tion. .  .  . 

...  In  the  report  of  the  Municipal  Hospital  of 
Philadelphia  for  1899,  Dr.  W.  M.  Welch  gives  the 
average  mortality  previous  to  the  epidemic  of  1894- 
95  as  58.38  per  cent,  while  during  the  epidemic  of 
1871-72  the  death  rate  in  unvaccinated  cases  reached 
the  appalling  figure  of  64.41  per  cent.  Imagine  one 
of  our  large  cities,  filled  with  unvaccinated  persons, 
subject  to  an  epidemic  of  smallpox  with  a  mortality 
of  64.41  per  cent.  Such  an  epidemic  would  carry  off 
more  than  half  of  the  entire  population. 

Which  is  to  be  preferred:  smallpox,  with  its  hor- 
rors, or  a  sore  arm  resulting  from  vaccination? 
Consider  the  facts;  observe  the  horrible  nature  of 
the  disease,  remember  the  terrible  mortality  and  the 
disfigurement  of  the  survivors,  and  then  let  every  per- 
son answer  this  question  for  himself. 

Concerning  the  so-called  danger  of  transmitting 
other  diseases  by  vaccination.  This  possibility  did 
exist  before  the  introduction  of  modern  methods  of 
producing  vaccine.  In  early  times  the  vaccine  virus 
was  passed  from  one  person  to  another,  the  serum 
from  the  vaccine  lesion  of  vaccinated  persons  being 
employed  to  vaccinate  others.  If  the  serum  was 
taken  from  a  person  suffering  from  a  constitutional 
disease,  there  was,  of  course,  danger  of  transmitting 
the  disease  to  others.  This  has  been  entirely  obvi- 
ated by  the  use  of  bovine  virus  and  modern  safe- 
guards thrown  around  its  preparation. 

Thanks  to  the  work  of  Pasteur  in  discovering  the 
microbic  causes  of  disease  and  the  nature  of  disease 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  333 

germ,  attention  was  called  to  the  danger  of  contami- 
nation from  this  source,  and  the  production  of  vac- 
cine virus  was  placed  on  a  scientific  basis  and  is  now 
under  government  supervision.  Vaccine  is  produced 
in  modern  vaccine  laboratories,  therefore  is  insured 
against  any  contamination  by  all  the  tests  known 
to  science.  .  .  . 

Re-vaccination.  Jenner  at  first  thought  that  vac- 
cination insured  immunity  for  life,  but  as  early  as 
1805  it  was  observed  that  epidemics  of  smallpox  oc- 
curred in  communities  supposed  to  be  protected  by 
vaccination.  During  the  first  quarter  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  these  epidemics  increased  in  number 
and  severity,  which  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
protective  influence  of  vaccination  gradually  became 
less,  and  in  some,  at  least,  wholly  disappeared.  It 
was  further  observed  that,  in  many,  exposure  to 
smallpox  resulted  in  varioloid,  at  first  supposed  to  be 
a  distinct  disease,  but  afterward  discovered  to  be  a 
mild  form  of  smallpox.  To  Husson  and  Bosquet  has 
been  given  the  credit  of  advising  re-vaccination, 
which  was  first  practiced  on  a  large  scale  in  Prussia. 
Since  that  time  the  smallpox  mortality  in  that  coun- 
try has  been  reduced  to  proportions  quite  insignifi- 
cant compared  with  any  previous  epoch.  .  .  . 

Finally,  in  considering  the  benefit  of  vaccination 
it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  re-vaccination  is  quite 
as  important  as  the  first  vaccination,  which  confers 
immunity  only  from  seven  to  ten  years.  A  child 
should,  therefore,  be  vaccinated  soon  after  birth,  or 
at  least  before  the  eighteenth  month,  and  the  process 
should  be  repeated  every  seven  years  thereafter. 

Special  Points  to  Remember. — 1.  Rigid  cleanliness 


334  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

should  be  exercised  in  preparing  the  patient  for  vac- 
cination and  in  the  after-care  of  the  vaccinated  area. 

2.  Deep  scarifications  should  be  avoided,  no  blood 
should  be  drawn. 

3.  Vaccination  should  preferably  be  performed  in 
the  winter  or  spring,  to  get  the  best  results,  as  the 
vaccine,  being  a  living  virus,  is  easily  destroyed  by 
summer  temperature. 

4.  Careful  instructions  should  be  given  the  patient 
as  to   the  subsequent  care  of  the  vaccination   and 
cleansing   or   treatment   of   the   vaccinated    area   is 
necessary.     The  patient  should  be  instructed  to  re- 
turn in  a  day  or  two  to  the  physician  for  examina- 
tion. 

5.  It  should  be  remembered  that  vaccination  is  a 
surgical  procedure  and  a  suppurative  wound,  unless 
properly  looked  after,  is  an  excellent  culture  field  for 
the  growth  of  a  foreign  bacilli. 

6.  Glycerinated  virus  is  the  only  form  of  vaccine 
prepared  at  the  present  time.     Only  fresh  vaccine 
should  be  employed,  and  the  physician  should  be  sure 
that  the  virus  has  been  carried  in  a  refrigerator  and 
not  exposed  to  the  heat. 

7.  Glycerinated    vaccine    is    milder    and    slightly 
slower    in    action    than    other    forms — the    vesicle 
usually  forming  on  the  eighth  day  in  primary  vacci- 
nation, possibly  as  late  as  the  tenth  day.    The  forma- 
tion of  the  typical  vesicles  should  be  considered  as 
proof  of  successful  vaccination. 


VACCINATION  CONDEMNED 

By  CHARLES  M.  HIGGIKS 

(Extracts  from  the  recent  book,  "Horrors  of  Vacci- 
nation"— a  plea  to  the  President  to  abolish 
compulsory  vaccination  in  the  Army  and 
•   Navy.) 

COMPULSORY  VACCINATION  THE   GREAT  MEDICAL  MAL- 
PRACTICE  OF   TO-DAY  WHICH   KILLS   MANY 
WHERE   BLEEDING   KILLED   ONE 

Now  the  most  barbarous  and  dangerous  medical 
practice  of  to-day  is  the  gross  evil  of  compulsory 
vaccination,  which  is  doubtless  the  greatest  violation 
of  common  sense,  medical  propriety  and  the  unalien- 
able  natural  rights  of  the  individual  guaranteed  in 
our  basic  American  Charters,  that  any  dogmatic,  pre- 
sumptuous profession  or  class  of  men  has  ever  been 
guilty  of.  And  it  is  to  this  serious  violation  of 
American  principle  forced  on  our  soldiers  and  sailors 
by  medical  dogmatism  that  I  now  wish  to  ask  your 
most  careful  attention  as  one  having  the  supreme 
commanding  and  pardoning  power  in  Army  and 
Navy,  with  the  earnest  prayer  that  in  the  exercise 
of  that  exalted  wisdom  and  power  possessed  by  your 
great  American  Office  and  Personality,  which  has  now 
made  itself  felt  around  the  whole  world,  that  this 
medical  barbarism  of  compulsory  disease  may  be 

835 


336  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

abolished  in  our  Army  and  Navy,  and  that  all  men 
condemned  by  Court  Martial  for  refusing  the  inflic- 
tion on  their  bodies  of  compulsory  disease  shall  be 
fully  pardoned  and  restored  to  their  proper  and 
honorable  status  as  loyal  American  soldiers  and 
sailors. 

VACCINATION     IS     BLOOD     POISONING     WITH     INFLICTED 

DISEASE  AND   IS   OFTEN   MORE   FATAL   THAN 

NATURAL    DISEASE 

For  former  medical  mistakes  there  is  now  substi- 
tuted the  modern  medical  mistake  of  compulsory 
bovine  and  serum  vaccinations  of  various  kinds  and 
multiple  repetitions  which  are  in  many  instances  as 
dangerous  to  human  health  and  life  as  the  former 
prohibited  malpractices,  or  more  so,  and  will,  doubt- 
less, in  due  time,  be  publicly  condemned  and  aban- 
doned as  equal  mistakes,  like  their  predecessors. 

Indeed,  this  modern  vaccine  system  of  medicine 
is  so  violent  and  dangerous  that  it  has  been  frequently 
known  to  kill  in  from  ten  to  fifteen  minutes  after 
injection  of  the  serum  by  what  is  known  as  "serum 
sickness,"  which  is  a  kind  of  rapid  blood  and  nerve 
poisoning  affecting  vital  nerve  centers,  to  which 
some  persons  are  very  susceptible.1  This  is,  of 
course,  a  more  violent,  rapid  and  fatal  action  than 
occurs  in  the  most  virulent  and  deadly  natural  dis- 
eases and  is  comparable  only  to  a  stroke  of  lightning 
or  shock  of  electricity  or  to  the  violent  action  of  the 
most  virulent  chemical,  mineral,  animal,  or  vegetable 
poisons  known  in  toxicology.  In  other  fatal  cases, 

i  See  U.  S.  Hygienic  Laboratory  Bulletin  91,  December,  1913. 
Also  "Preventive  Medicine,"  by  Dr.  Rosenau,  1914,  page  410. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  337 

where  the  poisoning  action  is  slower,  death  finally 
occurs  from  lockjaw,  paralysis,  meningitis,  or  pneu- 
monia, which  are  frequent  results  of  vaccination. 
And  these  fatal  results  of  vaccination  are  commonly 
denied  and  concealed  in  death  certificates  by  record- 
ing the  terminal  disease  of  lockjaw,  paralysis,  men- 
ingitis, or  pneumonia  only  as  the  sole  and  original 
cause  of  death  without  any  record  of  the  inflicted 
disease — vaccination — as  the  primary  or  contribu- 
tory cause  of  the  death.  This  evil  practice  is,  of 
course,  a  gross  falsification  of  our  vital  statistics, 
and  is  now  a  frequent  offense  by  some  of  our  vacci- 
nating doctors,  as  I  can  legally  prove  by  documen- 
tary evidence  when  required. 

In  some  death  certificates,  however,  the  vaccina- 
tion is  more  or  less  clearly  and  honestly  acknowl- 
edged as  the  cause  of  death,  direct  or  indirect.  I 
have  now  in  hand  a  recent  New  York  death  certificate 
which  records  the  death  of  a  little  child  one  year  old 
in  three  days  after  vaccination,  from  vaccinal  sep- 
ticemia,  or  blood  poisoning,  due  to  the  vaccinal 
infection. 

EVEEY    VACCINATION    SORE    IS    AN    INFECTING    ABSCESS 

AND    EVEEY    ACT    OF    VACCINATION    IS    A    BLOOD 

INFECTION    CAPABLE    OF    CAUSING   SERIOUS 

DISEASE  OR  DEATH  AT  ANY  TIME 

Every  vaccination  sore  is  simply  a  septicemic 
abscess  and  focus  of  infection,  more  or  less  danger- 
ous, and  is  possibly  capable  of  infecting  the  whole 
system  at  any  time  with  fatal  effect;  and,  further- 
more, every  act  of  ordinary  cowpox  vaccination  is,  of 
course,  an  act  of  septicemic  infection  or  blood  poison- 


338  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

ing,  per  se,  and  pure  and  simple,  and  frequently  kills 
in  this  way  in  the  longer  or  shorter  time  of  a  few 
days,  which  is,  of  course,  quicker  than  the  worst 
forms  of  natural  smallpox  ever  kill. 

As  convincing  evidence  on  this  head,  I  have  a 
Brooklyn  death  certificate  showing  the  death  of  a 
woman  hospital  nurse  six  months  after  vaccination, 
from  multiple  abscesses  which  broke  out  all  over  the 
body  in  successive  crops  and  continued  for  six  months 
notwithstanding  the  most  skillful  medical  efforts 
for  cure,  and  finally  resulted  in  death  from  general 
vaccinal  septicemia. 

I  have  an  English  certificate  showing  the  death  of 
a  man  from  the  same  cause,  multiple  abscesses,  re- 
sulting from  vaccination  and  continuing  for  seven 
years,  and  finally  ending  in  death. 

I  have  also  another  English  certificate  which  shows 
the  death  of  a  little  infant  from  vaccinal  septicemia 
in  thirty-four  hours  after  vaccination!  Of  course 
the  worst  form  of  smallpox  was  never  known  to  kill 
in  such  short  time. 

These  shocking  facts  thus  clearly  show  that  an 
inflicted  disease  may  be  far  worse  and  more  fatal 
than  a  naturally  acquired  disease,  and  that  vac- 
cination may  kill  with  surprising  swiftness  in  a  few 
days,  hours,  or  minutes,  quicker  than  the  most  fatal 
natural  diseases  or  the  most  virulent  poisons,  or  may 
continue  a  most  horrible  blood  infection  with  internal 
or  external  eruptions  through  an  agony  of  months  or 
years  and  finally  end  in  death  from  this  infection. 

I  have  also  some  recent  American  death  certifi- 
cates which  show  the  deaths  of  five  little  children  of 
primary  school  age,  all  killed  in  one  week  in  Septem- 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  339 

her,  1915,  from  vaccination  resulting  in  lockjaw  and 
septicemia.  I  have  now  in  hand  a  memorial  pam- 
phlet written  by  an  aggrieved  father,  a  very  intelli- 
gent man,  an  editor  and  manufacturer,  Mr.  James  A. 
Loyster,  of  Cazenovia,  New  York,  which  shows  the 
death  of  his  own  son  and  about  thirty  other  children 
from  vaccination  in  New  York  State  in  1914.  This 
child  slaughter  was  the  result  of  a  general  vaccina- 
tion raid  made  upon  the  school  children  of  the  state 
in  that  year;  and  this  pamphlet  gives  convincing 
proof  that  about  thirty,  and  probable  proof  that 
about  twice  that  number  were  killed  by  vaccine  in- 
fection, while  only  three  persons  died  from  smallpox 
in  the  whole  state  for  the  same  year! 

COMPULSORY     DISEASE    AS    A     CONDITION     FOE     PUBLIC 

SCHOOLING   OR    FOR    SERVICE   IN   ARMY   AND    NAVY 

IS    MEDICALLY    BARBAROUS    AND    LEGALLY 

UNCONSTITUTIONAL   AND    SHOULD    BE 

ABOLISHED 

These  deadly  vaccinations  above  cited  were  almost 
all  performed  on  school  children  to  satisfy  an  evil 
law  which  has  been  originated  and  sustained  by  a 
powerful  but  mistaken  part  or  sect  of  the  medical 
profession — the  vaccine  sect — by  which  law  vaccina- 
tion is  forced  upon  children  of  school  age  as  a  con- 
dition for  admission  to  school,  thus  making  the 
infliction  of  a  dangerous  disease  on  the  tender  body 
of  the  child  a  condition  for  the  exercise  of  that  most 
essential,  unquestionable,  and  inalienable  right  of  the 
child  to  Education!  Such  invasion  of  natural  right 
to  life,  health,  and  education  is  surely  the  clearest 
violation  of  those  great  American  principles  of  in- 


340  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

herent  natural  rights  so  distinctly  set  forth  in  the 
Declaration  and  Constitution  which  all  Governments 
must  respect  and  defend. 

ABOLISH  ALL  COMPULSORY  VACCINATION  IN  ARMY  AND 

NAVY  AND  APPOINT  DOCTORS  OF  VARIOUS  SCHOOLS 

ON  ALL  MEDICAL  AND   HEALTH   BOARDS 

In  the  same  way  this  dogmatic  and  dominant  part 
or  sect  of  the  medical  profession,  organized  in  pow- 
erful medical  societies  and  now  controlling  important 
public  offices,  has  forced  the  dangerous  practice  of 
general  compulsory  vaccination  upon  our  Army  and 
Navy,  and  this  practice  is,  I  believe,  largely  the  re- 
sult of  having  only  one  school  of  medicine — the  vac- 
cine school — represented  on  our  Medical  Boards  and 
in  our  Departments  of  Health  and  Vital  Statistics. 
To  thus  have  only  one  school  of  medicine  represented 
on  our  Medical  Boards  of  Army  and  Navy  is,  I 
submit,  as  great  a  mistake,  as  unjust,  absurd,  and 
un-American  as  it  would  be  to  have  only  one  school 
of  Religion  represented  in  our  Army  and  Navy  chap- 
lains. For,  surely,  medical  tolerance  and  freedom 
is  as  important  for  national  welfare  as  religious  tol- 
erance and  freedom.  And  to  this  particular  point, 
Mr.  President,  I  would,  therefore,  now  like  to  ask 
your  first  and  most  careful  attention,  with  the  sug- 
gestion and  hope  that,  as  supreme  commander  of 
both  arms  of  the  service,  you  will  not  only  find  it 
just,  wise  and  proper  to  abolish  all  compulsory  vac- 
cination in  Army  and  Navy  and  leave  vaccination 
entirely  voluntary  with  each  man,  as  it  now  is  in  the 
English  Army,  but  that  you  will  also  abolish  all 
arrogant  monopoly  or  control  of  medical  practice  in 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  341 

Army  and  Navy  by  any  one  school  of  medicine,  and 
will  adopt  the  reform  in  the  future  of  having  various 
schools  of  medicine  properly  and  justly  repre- 
sented on  our  Medical  Boards,  from  which  reform, 
I  believe,  a  great  improvement  in  medical  prac- 
tice and  in  public  right,  health  and  comfort  is  sure 
to  result. 

DEATHS  FROM  VACCINATION  GREATER  THAN  DEATHS 
FROM  SMALLPOX.   SHOCKING  DENIAL  AND  CON- 
CEALMENT OF  VACCINATION  DEATHS  BY  OUR 
DEPARTMENTS   OF   HEALTH   AND 
VITAL  STATISTICS 

Data  from  Reports  of  Registrar  General  of  Eng- 
land, showing  deaths  from  vaccination  compared 
with  deaths  from  smallpox: 

Total  Deaths  Total  Deaths 

Year                                        from  Smallpox  from  Vaccination 

1906 21  29 

1907 10  12 

1908 12  13 

Total  deaths  from  smallpox  for  six  years,  1905  to  1910 199 

Total  deaths  from  vaccination  for  six  years,  1905  to  1910. .  99 
Deaths  from  smallpox  in  said  period  under  5  years  old. . .  26 
Deaths  from  vaccination  in  said  period  under  5  years  old. .  98 

From  these  remarkable  figures  we  will  see  that  for 
the  six  years  from  1905  to  1910,  in  England  and 
Wales,  the  total  deaths  from  vaccination  for  all  ages 
were  about  half  the  total  deaths  from  smallpox,  but 
that  in  the  same  period  the  total  deaths  from  vac- 
cination, in  the  child  ages  of  five  years  and  under, 
were  nearly  four  times  the  deaths  from  smallpox  in 
the  same  age  group ! 

The  report  of  the  English  Registrar  General  for 


842  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  three  years,  1911,  1912  and  1913,  tells  a  similar 
story  of  vaccinal  fatality,  as  follows: 

Total  deaths  from  smallpox  for  all  ages  for  three  years, 
1911  to  1913  42 

Total  deaths  from  vaccination  for  all  ages  in  said  three 
years  31 

Deaths  from  smallpox  in  children  under  5  years 8 

Deaths  from  vaccination  in  children  of  same  age 30 

Here  it  will  be  noted  that  for  the  three  years 
stated  the  total  deaths  from  vaccination  are  three- 
quarters  of  the  total  deaths  from  smallpox,  whereas 
the  deaths  from  vaccination  in  children  five  years 
old  and  under  are  over  three  times  more  than  the 
deaths  from  smallpox  in  the  same  age  group !  I  have 
not  examined  the  reports  later  than  1913,  having 
confined  myself  to  the  decade  to  which  Dr.  Millard 
refers. 

This  awful  record  of  fatal  vaccinations  thus 
speaks  very  clearly  for  itself  and  forms  a  strong 
indictment  of  the  whole  barbarous  and  dangerous 
system  of  compulsory  vaccination,  whether  for  child 
or  adult,  and  must  condemn  the  evil  practice  in  every 
rational  mind. 

It  can  be  further  proved  that  an  equal  or  greater 
fatality  from  vaccination,  as  compared  with  the  Eng- 
lish records,  occurs  in  our  own  country  and  in  our 
own  state  of  New  York,  but  these  yearly  reports  by 
our  vaccinating  doctors  and  health  officials  of  city 
and  State,  as  I  have  repeatedly  and  publicly  charged, 
and  have  challenged  these  doctors  and  officials  to 
deny  or  disprove  this  charge  if  they  can,  and  I  now 
hereby  renew  this  public  challenge  on  this  most  seri- 
ous point. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  848 

For  further  data  on  this  point,  see  my  pamphlets, 
"The  Crime  against  the  School  Child,"  "Open  Your 
Eyes,"  "Serious  Warning"  and  "Vaccination  and 
Lockj  aw." 


AUTHOR'S  COMMENT 

After  having  read  and  studied  many  books  (pro 
and  con)  on  the  subject  of  vaccination;  after  hav- 
ing listened  to  views  held  by  physicians  of  "both 
camps"  on  the  controversy;  after  having  practiced 
the  operation  of  vaccination  a  number  of  years ;  and 
after  giving  the  subject  reasonable  (unbiased)  con- 
sideration and  reflection,  we  have  finally  concluded 
that: 

I.  Vaccination  is  useless  as  a  preventive  of  small- 
pox or  any  other  filth  manifestation;  for  smallpox 
is  a  filth  expression  or  filth  illness  which  follows 
closely  upon  flagrant  violation  of  the  laws  of  hygiene 
and  sanitation.  Give  the  human  race  clean  water, 
unadulterated  food,  sanitary  and  modern  lavatories, 
bathtubs  as  well  as  good  sewage,  and  you  may  say 
"good-by"  to  smallpox,  typhoid  fever  and  the  other 
fellows  that  usually  "chum"  together. 

The  occurrence  of  great  epidemics  or  national 
"scares"  has  coincided  with  periods  of  sanitary  neg- 
lect, accompanied  by  fatigue,  anxiety  and  fear;  no 
person  is  susceptible  to  smallpox  manifestations  or 
any  other  filth  disease  so  long  as  he  is  in  a  state  of 
health. 

Every  human  being  can  be  protected  from  small- 
pox or  any  illness  if  he  has  sufficient  air,  sunshine, 

wholesome  work,  good  food  and  interest  in  life ;  these 

344 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  345 

give  genuine  immunity.     (Read  Author's  Comment, 
under  heading  of  The  Vivisection  Problem.) 

II.  Vaccination  is  a  wonderfully  good  thing — to 
keep  doctors  treating  the  after  effects. 

Instead  of  protecting  its  victims  from  smallpox 
it  actually  renders  them  more  susceptible  to  it  by 
contaminating  the  blood  and  diminishing  natural  re- 
sistance. Many  healthy  children  have  died  from  the 
effects  of  vaccination.  (We  have  a  number  of  lists, 
of  names,  before  us.) 

III.  Compulsory  vaccination  ranks  with  human 
slavery  and  religious  persecution  and  is  one  of  the 
most   flagrant  infringements   of   the   rights   of   the 
human  race.    If  people  are  forced  to  submit  to  com- 
pulsory vaccination  for  smallpox  much  longer  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  soon  be  vaccinated 

— by  force,  of  course — for  typhoid  fever,  diphtheria, 
pneumonia,  measles,  hay  fever,  cancer,  tuberculosis, 
yellow  jaundice  and  the  like.  We  may  soon  be 
"blessed"  with  a  serum  or  vaccine  for  every  disease. 

IV.  It  is  unnecessary  to  actually  set  up  one  dis- 
ease in  a  healthy  organism   (as  vaccination  does) 
with  an  idea  in  view  of  avoiding  another.     Such  a 
procedure  is  an  appalling  violation  of  the  basic  prin- 
ciples of  hygiene  and  sanitation. 

The  community  that  has  sanitary  surroundings, 
a  pure  water  supply,  wholesome  food,  good  health 
and  freedom  from  the  blood  poisoning  incident  to 
vaccination,  need  have  no  more  fear  of  smallpox  than 
of  an  itching  nose. 

When  these  and  other  simple  facts  consistent  with 


846  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

nature's  laws  are  fully  realized  by  the  people  and  the 
three  schools  of  medicine  in  the  United  States  (called 
the  medical  profession),  it  will  not  take  long  to  put 
an  end  to  the  crime  of  compulsory  vaccination,  which 
disgraces  the  statute  books  of  our  country. 

A  FEW  STATEMENTS  BY  OTHEES 

Vaccination  is  the  most  outrageous  insult  that  can 
be  offered  to  any  pure-minded  man  or  woman.  It  is 
the  boldest  and  most  impious  attempt  to  mar  the 
works  of  God  that  has  been  attempted  for  ages. 
They  have  no  more  right  to  poison  your  little  ones 
by  vaccination  than  they  have  to  cut  your  throat. — 
E.  M.  RIPLEY,  M.D.,  Unionville,  Conn. 

Because  a  stupid  fellow  conceived  the  idea  that 
health  could  be  maintained  by  instilling  a  pus  ex- 
tracted from  a  filthy  animal  into  the  blood  stream  of 
a  human  being,  small  minds  continue  to  reflect  the 
absurdity.  As  well  argue  that  the  purity  of  a  stream 
of  water  can  be  maintained  by  polluting  it  with  the 
elements  of  decomposition,  or  if  impure,  that  it  may 
be  rendered  wholesome  by  dumping  into  it  the  sewage 
of  a  city.  Compulsory  medication  of  any  descrip- 
tion is  abhorrent  to  men  of  sound  mind  and  inde- 
pendent thought. — THOS.  MULLIGAN,  M.D.,  New 
Britain,  Conn. 

The  violation  of  the  body  of  a  healthy  person  and 
the  defilement  of  the  pure  blood  of  a  child  or  adult 
by  pus  inoculation,  as  in  vaccination,  and  without 
their  consent  is  assault  and  a  crime  in  the  nature  of 
rape.  A  law  compelling  such  a  procedure  is  unjust 
and  opposed  to  the  dictates  of  common  sense. — 
MAJOR  THOS.  BOUDEEN,  Bridgeport,  Conn. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  847 

I  oppose  vaccination  because  forty  years  of  prac- 
tice have  convinced  me  that  vaccination  does  not  af- 
ford the  least  protection  or  mitigation  from  small- 
pox, and  because  I  believe  its  pretext  is  bad  logic, 
wicked  in  morals,  and  futile  in  practice. — ALEXANDEB 
M.  Ross,  M.D.,  F.R.C. 

Compulsory  vaccination  is  a  crime  and  an  outrage. 
— W.  S.  ENSIGN,  Editor,  The  Truth  Teller,  Battle 
Creek,  Mich. 

To  inflict  a  bodily  wound  on  any  person,  forcibly 
or  against  the  will  of  that  person,  and  to  inoculate 
into  that  wound  an  infectious  disease  which  may  in- 
fect the  whole  body  and  destroy  health  or  life,  as 
occurs  in  the  act  of  vaccination,  is  an  illegal  and 
criminal  act  in  fact  and  law  under  the  simplest  funda- 
mental principles  of  common  law,  statute  law,  and 
constitutional  guarantees;  and  any  law  allowing  or 
authorizing  such  an  act  is,  of  course,  absolutely 
invalid. — CHAS.  M.  HIGGINS,  formerly  Treas.  Anti- 
Vaccination  League  of  America  and  author  of  "Hor- 
rors of  Vaccination,"  271  9th  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

It  matters  but  little  to  the  dead  children  or  their 
stricken  parents  whether  the  germs  of  disease  were 
introduced  with  the  vaccine  virus,  or  subsequently 
through  the  open  vaccine  wounds.  The  awful  fact 
remains  that  had  none  of  them  been  vaccinated  all 
would  probably  have  remained  alive  and  in  good 
health. — JAS.  A.  LOYSTEB,  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  in  "Vac- 
cination Results  in  New  York  State  in  1914." 
(Wonderful  collection  of  photographs  and  biogra- 
phies of  many  children  who  died  from  the  effects  of 
vaccination.) 

Vaccination  is  so  dreadfully  risky  hundreds  of 


348  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

physicians  and  surgeons  have  vehemently  denounced 
it,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  intelligent  and  de- 
voted parents  have  refused  it,  preferring  to  suffer 
fines  rather  than  defile  their  children's  blood  and  rob 
them  of  their  birthright  of  sweetness  and  purity. — 
Columbus  Medical  Journal. 

Vaccination  has  increased  the  agony  and  illness 
in  this  world.  Good  health  alone  gives  immunity. — 
ELMER  LEE,  M.D.,  Editor,  Health  Culture,  practic- 
ing physician  45  years,  New  York  City. 

Smallpox  is  simply  a  filth  disease;  it  comes  only 
to  those  whose  internal  organism  is  reeking  with  the 
poisons  bred  by  an  inactive  alimentary  canal,  want 
of  exercise,  and  the  neglect  of  external  cleanliness. 
Vaccination  does  not  give  protection. — BERNARR 
MACFADDEN,  Editor,  Physical  Culture. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  ere  long  a  system  of 
compulsory  notification  and  isolation  will  replace 
vaccination.  Indeed,  I  maintain  that  where  isolation 
and  vaccination  have  been  carried  out  in  the  face  of 
an  epidemic  it  is  isolation  which  has  been  instru- 
mental in  staying  the  outbreak,  though  vaccination 
has  received  the  credit. — EDGAR  MARCH  CROOK- 
SHANK,  M.D.,  J.P.,  Professor  of  Comparative  Pa- 
thology and  Bacteriology  in  King's  College,  London. 

I  have  very  little  faith  in  vaccination  even  as  modi- 
fying the  disease,  and  none  at  all  as  a  protective  in 
virulent  epidemics.  Personally,  I  contracted  small- 
pox less  than  six  months  after  a  most  severe  revac- 
cination. — R.  HALL  BLAKEWELL,  M.D.,  M.R.C.S. 

Facts  have  convinced  me  that  vaccination  is  a 
great  mistake  and  that  compulsion  is  one  of  the 
most  fearful  outrages  that  selfishness  and  cowardice 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  340 

has  ever  devised. — REV.  C.  H.  REIMEES,  State  Sec'y, 
Conn.  Anti-Compulsory  Vaccination  League,  Meri- 
den,  Conn. 

Priestly  despotism  is  bad,  but  medical  despotism 
is  intolerable. — RT.  HON.  J.  W.  HENLEY. 

In  my  family  I  prefer  smallpox  to  vaccination. — 
L.  E.  CEOSS,  M.D.,  Stockton,  Cal. 

Over  twenty  years  of  actual  experience  and  study 
makes  me  an  anti-vaccinationist. — J.  E.  MANN, 
M.D.,  Louisville,  Ky. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  children,  especially  school 
children,  are  singled  out  for  attack  by  the  vaccina- 
tionists,  and  that  laws  are  so  framed  as  to  make  it 
compulsory  for  parents  to  submit  their  children  to 
the  unavoidable  risks  always  accompanying  vaccina- 
tion, under  penalty  of  having  their  children  expelled 
from  the  public  school  and  denied  the  privilege  of  an 
education.  Especially  deplorable  is  it  when  circum- 
stances provide  an  opportunity  to  enforce  vaccina- 
tion on  children  at  the  age  of  puberty,  that  period 
of  great  and  momentous  changes  in  the  constitution 
and  life  of  the  child  when,  of  all  times,  the  child  is 
rendered  exceptionally  susceptible  and  should  not 
be  so  perniciously  interfered  with. — L.  W.  ANDER- 
SON, in  "The  Great  White  Plague,"  Waterbury, 
Conn. 

Many  more  such  statements  can  be  given,  but  the 
aforementioned  will  be  sufficient  for  the  unbiased 
reader,  that  experience  and  reason  conclude  against 
vaccination. 


MORE   PROMINENT  NAMES 

The  following  few  men  are  among  the  thousands 
on  record  as  opposed  to  vaccination: 

J.  VV.  Hodge,  M.D.,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. ;  E.  F. 
Bowers,  M.D.,  New  Haven,  Conn. ;  Wm.  Job  Collins, 
M.D.,  F.R.S.C.  (Public  Vaccinator,  London,  who 
gave  up  his  position  as  a  result  of  his  conviction 
against  vaccination)  ;  George  Cordwent,  M.D.  (Pub- 
lic Vaccinator  20  years,  West  Somerset,  England)  ; 
Dr.  Geo.  Pyburn,  Sacramento,  Cal. ;  M.  R.  Chamber- 
lain, M.D.,  Santa  Cruz,  Cal.;  C.  M.  Morford,  M.D., 
Toledo,  Iowa ;  S.  Worcester,  M.D.,  Portland,  Me. ; 
W.  F.  Hinckley,  M.D.,  Waterbury,  Conn.;  J.  H. 
Tilden,  M.D.,  Denver,  Col.;  Dr.  William  B.  Clark, 
Indianapolis,  Ind. ;  Isaac  Lockhart  Peebles,  M.D., 
Meriden,  Miss. ;  Dr.  A.  A.  Erz,  San  Francisco,  Cal. ; 
Dr.  I.  J.  Eales,  Chicago,  111. ;  J.  W.  Griggs,  Minne- 
apolis, Ind. ;  George  Starr  White,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal. ;  Frank  D.  Blue,  New  Orleans,  La. ;  Eli 
G.  Jones,  M.D.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Prof.  A.  Levanzin, 
Seattle,  Wash. ;  Dr.  Richard  Minthorne,  Newark, 
N.  J. ;  Joseph  D.  Harrigan,  M.D.,  New  York,  N.  Y. ; 
Charles  E.  Page,  M.D.,  Boston,  Mass. 


850 


A  FEW  INTERESTING  PRESS  REPORTS 

The  following  four  clippings  during  1918  prove 
how  dangerous  vaccines  are: 

1.    SMALLPOX  RAGING  AT  KRUPP  PLANT 

London,  June  10,  1918. — A  dispatch  to  the  Times  from  The 
Hague  quotes  a  neutral  who  has  arrived  there  from  Germany 
as  saying  that  an  epidemic  of  Black  Smallpox  is  raging  among 
the  workmen  of  the  Krupp  Plant  in  Essen,  with  four  or  five 
fatal  cases  occurring  daily.  Vaccination  of  every  one  is  com- 
pelled. 

The  outbreak,  the  dispatch  adds,  is  attributed  to  underfeed- 
ing and  unsanitary  conditions.  (And  yet,  the  pro-vaccination- 
ists  would  have  the  public  believe  that  the  elimination  of  filth 
and  sufficient  nutrition  would  not  prevent  smallpox. — Author.) 

2.    FEAR  VACCINE  VIRUS  MAY  BE  INFECTED 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Oct.  30,  1918.— Health  Officers  were  asked 
to-day  by  manufacturers  of  vaccine  sent  here  for  use  to 
return  it,  as  in  certain  instances  it  had  been  found  to  contain 
tetanus  germs.  The  vaccine  was  accordingly  shipped  to  Wash- 
ington where  it  will  be  analyzed. 

How  the  supposed  tetanus  germs  got  in  the  vaccine  is  un- 
explained, though  it  was  suggested  that  enemies  of  the  coun- 
try might  be  responsible.  (Anti-vaccinationists  the  world  over 
have  known  and  taught  that  vaccine  virus  contains  tetanus 
germs — and  that  vaccination  itself  was  one  of  the  greatest 
enemies  of  the  country. — Author.) 

3.    GERMS  OF  TETANUS  ARE  FOUND  IN  VACCINE 

Two  Deaths  in  Memphis  and  Vaccination  Is  Forbidden — 
Alien  Enemies  Are  Suspected 

Memphis,  Tenn.,  Oct.  31,  1918.— In  two  out  of  five  death* 
from  tetanus  in  Memphis  within  a  short  time,  the  infection  of 

351 


352  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tetanus  has  been  positively  traced  to  vaccination  for  smallpox. 

The  facts  have  been  reported  to  Washington  and  th«  Public 
Health  Service  and  the  Secret  Service  have  already  begun  an 
investigation.  The  Health  Department  has  notified  all  physi- 
cians in  Shelby  County  not  to  vaccinate  for  smallpox. 

It  is  suggested  that  enemies  of  the  country  might  be  respon- 
sible. (This  press-clipping  alone  proves  that  people  have  died 
as  a  result  of  vaccination,  yet  some  physicians  will  not  admit 
it. — Author.) 

4.    NO  EVIDENCE  OF  WILLFUL  INFECTION  OF 
SMALLPOX  VACCINE 

(Special  to  the  World) 

Washington,  Oct.  31,  1918.— The  Public  Health  Service  an- 
nounced to-night  that  there  was  no  evidence  of  willful  infection 
of  smallpox  vaccine  virus.  All  further  sales,  however,  have 
been  prohibited  and  manufacturers  required  to  withdraw  all 
smallpox  vaccines  from  the  market.  This  is  a  temporary  pre- 
caution to  allow  a  thorough  inspection.  The  laboratory  has 
not  received  the  virus  just  sent  from  St.  Paul,  which  is  said 
to  contain  tetanus  germs.  (Sudden  seizures  of  vaccines  for 
examination  ought  to  be  made  often.  Then  the  people  would 
soon  learn  the  truth. — Author.) 

VACCINATION    DEATHS 

We  desire  here  to  briefly  mention  the  fact  that  we 
have  before  us  a  number  of  names  and  the  addresses 
and  ages  of  many  children  who  died  as  a  result  of 
vaccination.  Those  who  are  especially  interested  in 
this  phase  of  the  subject  may  write  to  the  author  or 
to  the  secretary  of  the  American  Medical  Liberty 
League,  Chicago,  111. 

HEALTH  THE  ONLY  DEFENSE  AGAINST  SMALLPOX 

So  long  as  people  can  be  deluded  into  the  accept- 
ance of  a  practice  so  preposterous  and  pernicious, 
and  so  long  as  doctors  are  forced  by  circumstances 
to  depend  upon  disease  and  its  treatment  for  their 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  353 

livelihood,  just  that  long  may  the  people  expect  the 
supply  of  disease  to  meet  the  professional  demand 
therefor.  This  is  one  of  the  established  principles 
of  trade,  and  the  healing  art  is  no  exception. 

There  is  no  other  defense  against  the  invasion  of 
disease  than  a  sound  body  or  vigorous  health; 
while  the  vaccine  inoculators  claim  that  it  is  only 
by  the  products  of  disease  (vaccines,  toxins  and  se- 
rums), professionally  administered  to  healthy  peo- 
ple, that  the  human  body  can  be  fortified  against 
otherwise  inevitable  attack. 

WHEEE  YOU  MAY  GET  MOEE  INFORMATION 

I.  If  you  desire  literature  or  more  information 
as  to  why  vaccination  does  prevent  from  smallpox 
and  other  diseases  write  to  A.  R.  Craig,  M.D.,  535 
N.   Dearborn    St.,   Chicago,   111.,   secretary   of    the 
American  Medical  Association ;  your  State  or  Local 
Board  of  Health;  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Health;  and  from 
public  and  medical  libraries. 

II.  If  you  desire  literature  or  more  information 
as  to  why  vaccination  is  useless  and  harmful  instead 
of  being  a  preventive,  write  to  any  of  the  following: 

Lora  C.  Little,  Sec'y,  American  Medical  Liberty 
League,  59  E.  Van  Buren  St.,  Chicago,  HI. 

The  Truth  Teller,  W.  S.  Ensign,  Editor,  Battle 
Creek,  Mich. 

Jessica  Henderson,  Sec'y,  Medical  Liberty 
League,  205  Kimball  Bldg.,  Boston,  Mass. 

Rev.  C.  H.  Reimers,  Sec'y,  Conn.  Anti-Compul- 
sory Vaccination  League,  830  E.  Main  St.,  Meriden, 
Conn. 


354  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

H.  B.  Anderson,  Sec'y,  Citizen's  Medical  Refer- 
ence Bureau,  145  W.  45th  St.,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Diana  Belais,  Editor,  The  Open  Door,  the  national 
Anti-Vivisection  and  Animal  Magazine,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  N.  Y.  Anti-Vivisection  Society,  456 
Fourth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 

L.  Loat,  Sec'y,  The  National  Anti-Vaccination 
League  of  England,  and  editor  of  The  Vaccination 
Inquirer,  25  Denison  House,  Vauxhill  Bridge  Road, 
London,  S.W.I.,  England. 

Charles  M.  Higgins,  Author  "Horrors  of  Vaccina- 
tion," 271  Ninth  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

George  Starr  White,  M.D.,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  author 
of  "A  Lecture  Course  to  Physicians,"  "The  Natural 
Way,"  "Think,"  etc.,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

J.  H.  Tilden,  M.D.,  Editor,  Philosophy  of  Health, 
Denver,  Col. 

James  A.  Loyster  (Author  of  "Vaccination  Results 
in  N.  Y.  State  in  1914,"  with  photographs  of  many 
children  who  died  of  vaccination  during  that  year), 
Cazenovia,  N.  Y. 

Benedict  Lust,  N.D.,  M.D.,  Author,  and  editor 
Herald  of  Health  and  Naturopath,  110  E.  41st  St., 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

Bernarr  Macfadden,  Editor,  Physical  Culture, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

Dr.  Harold  Wells  Turner,  Editor,  Health,  Culture, 
1133  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Prof.  A.  Levanzin,  Editor,  Thought  Nuggets, 
Seattle,  Wash. 

J.  W.  Hodge,  M.D.,  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Thomas  Mulligan,  M.D.,  New  Britain,  Conn. 

E.  M.  Ripley,  M.D.,  Unionville,  Conn. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  355 

F.  K.  Perry,  Union  City,  Conn. 

L.  W.  Anderson,  Waterbury,  Conn. 

Isaac  L.  Peebles,  M.D.,  Author  "Unanswerable 
Objections  to  Vaccination,"  Meriden,  Miss. 

J.  W.  Griggs,  2120-22  Lyndale  Ave.,  South,  Min- 
neapolis, Ind. 

John  B.  Fraser,  M.D.,  Toronto,  Canada. 

Rev.  H.  J.  Adlard,  Sec'y,  The  Medical  Freedom 
League  of  Canada,  118  Goulburn  Ave.,  Ottawa, 
Canada. 

A.  B.  Farmer,  B.A.,  Sec'y,  The  Anti-Compulsory 
Vaccination  League,  Apt.  2,  378  Markham  St.,  To- 
ronto, Canada. 


THE  BIRTH  CONTROL  PROBLEM1 

(That  the  birth  control  movement  or  the  fight  for 
Voluntary  Motherhood  is  steadily  becoming  a  prom- 
inent public  issue  in  America  nobody  can  deny. 
Whether  or  not  one  agrees  with  those  who  advocate 
a  conscious  limitation  of  conception  is  another  story. 
At  any  rate,  as  liberal-minded,  truth-seeking  and 
truth-loving  people,  we  should  first  of  all  "agree  to 
disagree."  We  should  hold  in  high  esteem  those  who 
have  opinions,  especially  those  who  openly  express 
them.  We  should,  first  of  all,  have  democracy  in 
thought,  democracy  in  intellect.  Then  we  can  begin 
to  exchange  views ;  learn  from  each  other ;  profit  by 
our  common  knowledge;  and,  at  last,  clasp  each 
other's  hand  in  friendliness. 

There  are,  of  course,  two  sides  to  every  story. 
Many  persons  have  not  heard  "the  other  side"  of 
this  one.  Why  should  we  not  grant  an  impartial 
hearing  on  this  and  on  every  subject  of  interest  that 
pertains  to  human  welfare?  This  book,  being  writ- 
ten for  intelligent  adults — mothers  and  fathers  of 
the  race — justice  will  be  done  to  the  readers  by  pre- 
senting the  views  (in  brief)  of  those  who  are  directly 

i  The  following  excerpts  are  presented  with  the  idea  of 
giving  the  reader  a  clear  statement  from  defenders  and  op- 
ponents of  this  movement  No  reader  is  required  to  accept 
as  final  any  view  herein  advanced.  This  democratic  expo- 
sition may  stimulate  further  reading  and  study  of  this  health 
problem. 

356 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  857 

interested  because  of  their  expert  knowledge  as  a 
result  of  years  of  study  of  this  vital  and  timely 
health  problem. — Author.) 

I.  Reasons  against  Limitations  of  Families,  from 
"Social  and  Religious  Aspects,"  by  Dr.  Mary  Schar- 
lieb,  C.B.E.,  M.S.  (Eng.),  in  The  Control  of  Parent- 
hood,  edited  by  James   Marchant,   LL.D.,   C.B.E., 
F.R.S.Ed.,  Sec'y  of  the  National  Birth  Rate  Com- 
mission (G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York  and  Lon- 
don). 

II.  (a)   From   "Voluntary   Motherhood,"    article 
by   Margaret    Sanger,   a   leading   exponent   of   the 
Birth  Control  Movement  and  editor  of  The  Birth 
Control  Re-view,  104  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 

(b)  Extracts  from  "The  Goal"  from  "Woman 
and  the  New  Race,"  Chapter  XVIII,  Brentano's, 
New  York,  1920,  by  Margaret  Sanger. 

III.  From  "Birth  Control,"  by  Louis  I.  Dublin, 
Ph.D.,    statistician,    Metropolitan    Life    Insurance 
Company,  New  York  City,  an  opponent  of  Birth 
Control — an  address  delivered  before  the  sixth  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  American  Social  Hygiene  Asso- 
ciation,  New    York,   October    22,    1919 — reprinted 
from  Social  Hygiene,  Vol.  VI,  No.  1. 

IV.  From  "Birth  Control  in  Its  Medical,  Social, 
Economic    and   Moral    Aspects,"    by    S.    Adolphus 
Knopf,  M.D.,  Prof,  of  Medicine,  Dept.  of  Phthisio- 
therapy,  at  the  New  York   Post-Graduate   School 
and  Hospital,  originally  read  before  the  American 
Public    Health    Association    (New    York,    October, 
1916) — an  advocate  of  birth  control. 


REASONS  AGAINST  LIMITATIONS  OF 
FAMILIES 

By  DR.  MAEY  SCHAELIEB,  C.B.E.,  M.S.  (Eng.) 

Limitation  of  families  is  wrong  and  dangerous 
because  it  does  not  control  nor  discipline  sexual  pas- 
sion, but  by  removing  the  fear  of  consequences  it 
does  away  with  the  chief  controlling  and  steadying 
influence  of  sexual  life. 

Secondly,  the  limitation  of  the  family  is  not  really 
in  the  interest  of  overburdened  mothers.  It  may  re- 
lieve them  of  too  frequently  recurring  child-bearing, 
and  from  the  burden  of  too  large  a  household;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  by  removing  the  chief  check  on 
the  husband's  desires  and  demands,  it  destroys  the 
wife's  protection  from  his  too  great  insistence  and 
persistence. 

Thirdly,  the  possibility  of  satiating  desire  without 
incurring  the  risk  of  procreation  tends  to  the  over- 
development of  the  sexual  side  of  the  characters  of 
both  man  and  woman.  It  is  as  if  the  loathsome  prac- 
tices of  Heliogabalus  made  perpetual  eating  and 
drinking  possible.  As  Foerster  says:  "The  situa- 
tions which  will  necessarily  arise  from  the  man's 
sexuality  being  exclusively  directed  towards  sensu- 
ous gratification,  and  being  unaccustomed  to  control, 
will  far  surpass,  in  tragedy,  sordidness,  and  poison- 
ous consequences  anything  which  could  possibly  arise 

358 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  359 

from  the  most  unlimited  child-bearing.  The  increase 
of  man's  subjection  to  passion  and  artificial  sensu- 
ousness  will  be  disastrous." 

The  picture  of  a  society  under  a  regime  of  uncon- 
trolled license,  of  unbridled  passion,  and  absolute 
self-indulgence  is  far  from  attractive.  It  would  be 
in  all  respects  worse  than  anything  imagined  by  the 
Epicureans.  The  countries  which  practiced  such 
self-abuse  would  rapidly  degenerate,  and  would  show 
a  lack  of  physical  vigor  and  of  moral  greatness.  If 
the  intentional  restriction  of  offspring  was  practiced 
chiefly  by  the  educated  classes  the  balance  of  power 
and  of  government  would  necessarily  incline  to  those 
who  were  less  well  educated  but  more  prolific,  and 
who,  unfortunately,  would  not  have  behind  them  the 
steadying  traditions  of  unselfishness,  of  self-control, 
and  of  capacity  for  command.  The  condition  of 
such  a  State  would  be  one  of  sheer  materialism,  the 
conduct  of  life  depending  entirely  on  bodily  desires, 
not  on  true  bodily  welfare,  while  the  capacity  for 
mental  and  moral  greatness  would  steadily  diminish. 
Those  who  approve  and  inculcate  the  voluntary  lim- 
itation of  families,  and  who  would  divorce  the  sexual 
act  from  the  intention  of  procreation,  tell  us  that  life 
is  imperfect  without  the  exercise  of  all  the  functions 
of  the  body ;  that  health  both  of  body  and  mind  must 
suffer  unless  sexual  desires  receive  ample  gratifica- 
tion; and  that  the  denial  of  gratification  to  sexual 
impulse  is  injurious  to  the  physical  and  moral  well- 
being  of  both  men  and  women.  They  would  have  us 
believe  that  men  who  live  continent  lives  become  im- 
potent, and  that  their  nervous  systems  suffer  from 
their  self-restraint.  That  these  statements  are  not 


360  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

generally  correct  is  proved  by  the  experience  of 
thousands  of  men  and  women  who,  for  various  rea- 
sons, live  celibate  lives  in  absolute  chastity,  and  who 
maintain  physical  vigor  and  nervous  integrity.  This 
is  not  only  true  of  clergy  and  the  religious  orders, 
but  also  of  many  men  and  women  who,  for  various 
reasons  connected  with  work  or  with  family  circum- 
stances, have  neither  married  nor  have  sought  physi- 
cal indulgence.  Doctors  are  practically  unanimous 
in  the  opinion  that  young  men  and  young  women, 
even  during  the  years  when  passion  is  strongest  and 
self-control  most  difficult,  can  safely  practice  con- 
tinence; that  it  does  not  diminish  their  subsequent 
fertility,  nor  does  it  injure  their  health.  If  these 
young  people  can  be  continent  without  suffering 
injury,  still  more  can  those  who  are  older  and  whose 
passions  are  less  eager.  In  the  case  of  the  married 
couple,  their  mutual  love  and  the  tender  intimacy 
of  abstinence  may  be  more  difficult  on  account  of 
their  lives,  but  even  in  such  cases  abstinence  can  be 
practiced  without  injury,  although  it  may  be  that 
it  entails  more  regret  and  more  difficulty.  There 
can  be  few  cases  in  which  absolute  abstinence  is  neces- 
sary for  married  couples  apart  from  those  who, 
owing  to  unhealthiness  of  mind  or  body,  ought  not 
to  have  entered  into  the  contract  of  marriage. 

A  consideration  of  the  relations  between  the  sexes 
in  the  lower  orders  of  creation  shows  that  at  any 
rate  in  the  higher  order  of  mammals,  intercourse 
between  the  male  and  female  occurs  only  at  certain 
intervals,  and  that  it  is  normally  followed  by  preg- 
nancy. It  is  rare  for  the  female  to  be  willing  to 
receive  the  advances  of  the  male  except  at  regular 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  361 

intervals,  special  to  each  variety  of  animal.  Prob- 
ably the  much  more  frequent  desire  of  human  beings 
is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  brought  up 
to  expect  and  to  claim  unlimited  sexual  intercourse 
as  a  right,  partly  to  the  unfortunate  dual  standard 
of  legal  morality,  and  partly  to  the  inferior  legal 
and  social  position  of  woman,  which  has  led  to  the 
opinion  that  whereas  any  lapse  from  morality  on 
her  part  must  bring  with  it  social  ostracism  and 
censure,  it  has  very  generally  been  considered  neither 
wrong  nor  discreditable  for  men  to  consort  with 
women  who  were  not  their  wives,  even  after  mar- 
riage. .  .  . 

In  passing,  one  may  well  admit  the  justice  of  the 
view  that  a  woman  should  not  be  coerced  into  mother- 
hood, nor  indeed  into  sexual  union,  but  surely  the 
true  freedom  and  safety  of  woman  should  be  secured 
by  the  chivalry  and  reverent  love  of  her  husband; 
and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  contraceptive  meth- 
ods, far  from  aiming  at  giving  the  mother  full  con- 
trol over  her  own  body,  aim  only  at  preventing  con- 
ception, and,  by  relieving  the  husband  of  all  respon- 
sibility and  fear  of  consequences,  the  use  of  them 
inevitably  tends  to  make  his  demands  greater.  .  .  . 

The  injury  that  a  general  reception  of  contracep- 
tive teaching  would  inflict  upon  the  unmarried  is  even 
greater.  A  knowledge  of  the  methods  of  preventing 
conception  cannot  but  tend  to  break  down  the  safe- 
guards that  are  so  badly  needed  by  many  unmarried 
men  and  women.  The  mere  discussion  of  contracep- 
tive methods  is  lowering  to  the  moral  sense  and  to  the 
innate  reserve  and  purity  of  decently  brought-up 
young  people.  That  such  a  subject  should  be  made 


362  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  matter  of  public  discussion  is  a  deep  injury  to 
the  conscience  of  the  nation,  and  if  the  methods  de- 
tailed by  Dr.  Stopes  should  become  generalized  there 
is  reason  to  fear  that  many  thousands  of  young 
people  who  might  otherwise  have  retained  their  vir- 
tue, and  who  might  have  looked  forward  to  honor- 
able matrimony,  will  be  injured  both  in  body  and 
soul.  It  is  also  probable  that  a  very  considerable 
proportion  of  unmarried  people  who  indulge  in  pro- 
miscuous relations  will  be  in  danger  of  contracting 
venereal  diseases.  .  .  . 

...  It  has  always  been  held  that  women  are  the 
superiors  of  men  in  the  matter  of  sexual  morality; 
we  have  no  truth  of  this  belief.  In  regard  to  other 
shortcomings,  such  as  untruthfulness,  dishonesty  and 
selfishness,  the  two  sexes  appear  to  be  fairly  on  an 
equality,  and  there  is  some  reason  to  think  that  the 
woman's  higher  standard  of  sexual  morality  is  very 
largely  the  product  of  her  age-long  fear  of  the  con- 
sequences of  immorality.  .  .  .  Up  to  the  present 
time  the  dual  standard  has  prevailed,  and  sexual 
dereliction  on  the  part  of  the  man  has  always  been 
considered  to  be  so  natural  and  so  common  as  to 
need  little  excuse  or  apology.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  woman  who  has  had  an  illegitimate  child  has 
been  considered  to  be  so  degraded  that  even  the  at- 
tempt to  rescue  her  has  been  a  forbidden  subject 
in  polite  society.  Parents  have  not  hesitated  to 
give  their  daughters  in  marriage  to  men  who  were 
notorious  evil  livers,  but  men  have  very  rightly 
objected  to  marrying  a  girl  who  was  known  to  have 
made  so  fatal  a  mistake.  .  .  . 

Probably  the  correct  rhythm  of  reproduction  in 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  863 

the  human  being  is  an  interval  of  about  two  years. 
If  we  had  not  become  oversexed  by  undue  indulgence 
there  would  have  been  little  conception  except  im- 
mediately after  a  period,  and  none  during  lactation. 
The  remedy  lies  in  the  direction  of  athleticism  and 
self-control. 

The  evidence  given  before  the  Royal  Commission 
on  Venereal  Diseases  showed  that  the  act  to  which 
infection  with  these  diseases  is  generally  due  was 
committed  in  some  90  per  cent  of  the  cases  while 
the  individual  was  under  the  influence  of  alcohol. 
Not  that  he  or  she  was  necessarily  drunk,  but  that 
alcohol  enough  had  been  taken  to  silence  conscience 
and  to  cloud  the  judgment.  In  like  manner,  much 
of  the  excessive  sexuality  and  gross  materialism 
that  conspire  to  cause  overfrequent  demands  upon 
a  partner's  generosity  have  their  origin  in  the  same 
deterioration  of  moral  control.  There  is  reason  to 
hope  that  our  country  will  not  again  descend  to  the 
level  of  excessive  alcoholism  which  disgraced  it  before 
the  war.  .  .  . 

A  woman  living  under  physiological  conditions 
would  probably  have  a  child  about  once  in  two  years 
— nine  months'  lactation,  six  months'  holiday,  and 
nine  months'  pregnancy  would  prevent  a  woman  from 
the  very  undue  strain  of  bearing  a  child  once  a  year. 
If  married  life  began  about  the  age  of  twenty,  the 
young  woman's  fertility  would  be  at  its  height,  and 
it  would  generally  have  begun  to  diminish  by  the 
time  she  had  borne  five  or  six  children.  A  family  of 
this  size  would  be  none  too  big  for  the  necessities 
of  the  Empire.  Two  children  might  be  taken  as  rep- 
resenting the  father  and  mother  in  the  home  popula- 


364  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

tion,  while  three  or  four  would  not  be  too  large  a 
contribution  towards  the  adequate  population  of 
the  Britains  Overseas.  It  may  be  true  that  England 
is  already  sufficiently  populated,  but  the  same  cannot 
be  said  of  the  outlying  parts  of  the  Empire,  some  of 
the  fairest  parts  of  which  are  so  sparsely  populated 
that  they  offer  almost  overwhelming  temptations  to 
their  neighbors. 

We  must  also  remember  that  for  many  years  to 
come  every  potential  husband  and  father,  every  liv- 
ing and  healthy  child,  is  a  valuable  national  asset. 
We  have  lost  most  of  the  young  men  who  ought  to 
have  been  the  fathers  of  the  next  ten  or  fifteen  years. 
Mercifully,  the  reproductive  period  of  men  is  not  so 
limited  as  is  that  of  women;  if  it  were,  the  position 
of  our  population  would  be  hopeless.  But  even  as  it 
is,  every  effort  should  be  made  to  assist  the  working 
population,  and  perhaps  even  more  those  members 
of  the  community  who  are  well  educated  and  have  a 
real  stake  in  the  country,  but  whose  small  fixed  in- 
comes make  their  real  economic  position  worse  than 
is  that  of  the  laboring  classes. 

Graduated  remissions  of  income  tax,  the  endow- 
ment of  mothers  and  of  children  up  to  the  age  of 
fourteen,  the  provision  of  a  real  living  wage,  and 
the  steady  encouragement  of  all  classes  to  work  hard 
and  to  increase  our  exports  are  amongst  the  means 
that  may  be  taken  to  solve  the  problem  of  the  birth 
rate.  , 


VOLUNTARY  MOTHERHOOD 
By  MABGAKET  SANGER 

Birth  Control  when  based  on  the  theory  of  volun- 
tary motherhood  becomes  the  new  moral  standard 
and  social  principle  which  shall  be  the  foundation  of 
a  new  glorified  womanhood. 

Long  has  woman  been  called  the  gentler  and 
weaker  half  of  human  kind;  long  has  she  borne  the 
brunt  of  unwilling  motherhood ;  long  has  she  been  the 
stepping-stone  of  oligarchies,  kingdoms  and  man- 
made  democracies ;  too  long  have  they  thrived  on  her 
enslavement.  The  time  has  come  at  last  when  she 
demands  her  physical  and  spiritual  freedom — and 
her  liberty. 

When  woman  becomes  conscious  of  her  ego,  her 
inner  self,  then  shall  she  become  a  pivot  in  the  world's 
advanced  thought,  and  shall  hold  within  her  hands 
the  reins  of  human  destiny.  Those  who  have  opposed 
her  development  and  progress  are  simply  those  who 
refuse  to  accept  this  new  moral  standard  for  her. 
They  do  not  realize  that  Birth  Control,  which  shall 
place  woman  in  possession  of  her  own  body,  is  an 
epoch-making  process  in  racial  development.  They 
do  not  realize  that  this  new  social  principle,  born 
out  of  the  hearts  and  desires  of  womankind,  shall 
be  the  medium  to  bring  to  the  light  of  day  the  SOR- 
ROWS AND  SUFFERINGS  that  have  afflicted 

365 


366  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

humanity,  and  shall  point  the  way  to  their  elimina- 
tion. 

Those  who  have  opposed  Birth  Control  have  over- 
looked the  fact  that  WOMAN  ALONE  HAS  EN- 
DURED THE  PANGS  OF  CHILD  BIRTH,  and 
has  gone  into  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death 
for  every  baby  born.  For  centuries  she  has  popu- 
lated the  earth  in  ignorance  and  without  restraint 
in  vast  numbers  and  with  staggering  rapidity.  She 
has  become  not  the  mother  of  a  nobler  race,  but  a 
mere  breeding  machine  grinding  out  a  humanity 
which  fills  insane  asylums,  feeble-minded  institutions, 
hospitals  and  penitentiaries.  We  see  the  nations  of 
Europe  on  bended  knee,  begging,  imploring,  crying  to 
woman,  using  every  subterfuge  to  induce  her  to  breed 
again  in  the  old-time  submission  to  man-made  laws. 
To  all  these  entreaties  the  Modern  Woman  answers : 
No! 

We  hear  so  much  of  sacred  motherhood.  Have  the 
forces  of  oppression  ever  cared  for  her  poignant 
grief?  Have  they  not  turned  in  callous  indifference 
from  her  tears  while  her  flesh  and  blood  reddened 
every  battlefield  in  history?  There  are  statues  in 
plenty  to  kings,  statesmen  and  generals  who  have  led 
her  sons  off  to  the  universal  shambles  of  slaughter. 
But  where  are  the  monuments  of  motherhood? 

Of  course,  under  the  pressure  of  hungry  mouths 
asking  to  be  fed  miracles  have  been  done  in  relieving 
distress,  through  charities  and  philanthropies,  but 
never  has  the  actual  CAUSE  been  touched,  never 
have  we  been  able  to  secure  peace,  never  to  provide 
plenty,  never  to  fully  satisfy  the  demand,  never  have 
we  been  free  from  disease,  misery  and  crime.  With 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  367 

the  millions  yearly  spent  upon  these  bottomless  pits 
called  charities,  never  once  has  any  one  attempted 
to  cure  the  disease.  They  have  treated  the  symp- 
toms, but  the  deadly  disease  has  been  allowed  to 
spread  underneath. 

My  constant  thought:  How  can  I  arouse  the 
people,  and  the  women  of  this  country  especially,  to 
what  I  know  so  that  these  laws  will  be  challenged 
and  changed?  I  felt  so  powerless.  I  had  no  influ- 
ence, no  money,  few  friends.  I  had  only  one  way  of 
making  myself  heard.  I  felt  as  one  would  feel  if,  on 
passing  a  house  which  one  saw  to  be  on  fire  and  knew 
to  contain  women  and  children  unaware  of  their  dan- 
ger, one  realized  that  the  only  entrance  was  through 
a  window.  Yet  there  was  a  law  and  a  penalty  for 
breaking  windows.  Would  any  one  of  you  hesitate, 
if  by  so  doing  you  could  save  a  single  life? 

In  trying  to  test  the  constitutionality  of  this  law 
every  barrier  was  placed  in  my  way  and  that  of  my 
attorneys.  Medical  testimony  of  four  physicians 
was  refused,  who  wished  to  state  that  there  are  thou- 
sands of  women  to-day  suffering  from  tuberculosis, 
pelvic  deformities,  heart  disease,  etc.,  to  whom  preg- 
nancy would  mean  almost  certain  death,  but  whose 
lives  might  be  saved  and  their  health  preserved 
through  knowledge  of  how  to  prevent  conception. 
Mrs.  Byrne  and  I  were  denied  the  privilege  of  paying 
a  fine  pending  the  decision  of  our  appeal  and  were 
ruthlessly  cast  into  prison  like  the  lowest  cut-throat 
and  degraded  prostitute.  There  was  no  considera- 
tion shown  us  or  understanding  of  what  we  were  try- 
ing to  do.  No  recognition  that  we  are  both  married 
women  and  mothers  of  children.  No  recognition  of 


368  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

the  pains  we  took  to  give  the  information  in  a  private 
place,  by  word  of  mouth  and  to  mothers  only.  No 
recognition  of  the  congested  neighborhood,  and  the 
need  in  it  for  family  limitation,  or  the  women  who 
testified  of  their  distress  and  poverty  and  horror  of 
pregnancy,  and  of  the  great  relief  and  new  hope  in 
life  that  the  clinic  brought  to  them.  The  spirit  of 
the  Inquisition  reigned  supreme  in  the  court  and 
held  a  piece  of  parchment  more  sacred  than  human 
life,  womanhood  and  motherhood.  I  hope  you  will 
see  with  me  that  this  statute,  and  all  such  statutes, 
are  against  all  the  demands  of  modern  thought  and 
civilization.  .  .  . 

Far  back  upon  the  road  of  To-day  millions  of 
women  are  trudging  along  overburdened  with  too 
many  children;  bowed,  bent,  broken,  they  stumble 
along.  They  call  to  you  to  listen  to  their  piteous 
cry?  What  will  your  answer  be? 


FROM  "THE  GOAL"  LAST  CHAPTER  IN 
"WOMAN  AND  THE  NEW  RACE" 

By  MABGABET  SANGER 

What  is  the  goal  of  woman's  upward  struggle? 
Is  it  voluntary  motherhood?  Is  it  general  free- 
dom? Or  is  it  the  birth  of  a  new  race?  For  freedom 
is  not  fruitless,  but  prolific  of  higher  things.  Being 
the  most  sacred  aspect  of  woman's  freedom,  volun- 
tary motherhood  is  motherhood  in  its  highest  and 
holiest  form.  It  is  motherhood  unchained — mother- 
hood ready  to  obey  its  own  urge  to  remake  the  world. 

Voluntary  motherhood  implies  a  new  morality — a 
vigorous,  constructive,  liberated  morality.  That 
morality  will,  first  of  all,  prevent  the  submergence 
of  womanhood  into  motherhood.  It  will  set  its  face 
against  the  conversion  of  women  into  mechanical 
maternity  and  toward  the  creation  of  a  new  race. 

Woman's  role  has  been  that  of  an  incubator  and 
little  more.  She  has  given  birth  to  an  incubated 
race.  She  has  given  to  her  children  what  little  she 
was  permitted  to  give,  but  of  herself,  of  her  person- 
ality, almost  nothing.  In  the  mass,  she  has  brought 
forth  quantity,  not  quality.  The  requirement  of  a 
male-dominated  civilization  has  been  numbers.  She 
has  met  that  requirement. 

It  is  the  essential  function  of  voluntary  mother- 
hood to  choose  its  own  mate,  to  determine  the  time 

369 


370  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

of  child-bearing,  and  to  regulate  strictly  the  number 
of  offspring.  Natural  affection  upon  her  part,  in- 
stead of  selection  dictated  by  social  or  economic  ad- 
vantage, will  give  her  a  better  fatherhood  for  her 
children.  The  exercise  of  her  right  to  decide  how 
many  children  she  will  have  and  when  she  shall  have 
them  will  procure  for  her  the  time  necessary  to  the 
development  of  other  faculties  than  that  of  repro- 
duction. She  will  give  play  to  her  tastes,  her  talents 
and  her  ambitions.  She  will  become  a  full-rounded 
being.  Thus  and  only  thus  will  woman  be  able  to 
transmit  to  her  offspring  those  qualities  which  make 
for  a  greater  race.  .  .  . 

Birth  control  itself,  often  denounced  as  a  violation 
of  natural  law,  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  the  facili- 
tation of  the  process  of  weeding  out  the  unfit,  of  pre- 
venting the  birth  of  defectives  or  of  those  who  will 
become  defectives.  So,  in  compliance  with  nature's 
working  plan,  we  must  permit  womanhood  its  full 
development  before  we  can  expect  of  it  efficient 
motherhood.  If  we  are  to  make  racial  progress,  this 
development  of  womanhood  must  precede  mother- 
hood in  every  individual  woman.  Then  and  then  only 
can  the  mother  cease  to  be  an  incubator  and  be  a 
mother  instead.  Then  only  can  she  transmit  to  her 
sons  and  daughters  the  qualities  which  make  strong 
individuals  and,  collectively,  a  strong  race. 

Maternal  love,  which  usually  follows  upon  a 
happy,  satisfying  mate  love,  becomes  a  strong  and 
urgent  craving.  It  then  exists  for  two  powerful, 
creative  functions.  First,  for  its  own  sake  and  then 
for  the  sake  of  further  enriching  the  conjugal  rela- 
tionship. It  is  from  such  soil  that  the  new  life  should 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  371 

spring.  It  is  the  inherent  right  of  the  new  life  to 
have  its  inception  in  such  physical  ground,  in  such 
spiritual  atmosphere.  The  child  thus  born  is  indeed 
a  flower  of  love  and  tremendous  joy.  It  has  within 
it  the  seeds  of  courage  and  of  power.  This  child 
will  have  the  greatest  strength  to  surmount  hard- 
ships, to  withstand  tyrannies,  to  set  still  higher  the 
mark  of  human  achievement.  .  .  . 

When  motherhood  becomes  the  fruit  of  a  deep 
yearning,  not  the  result  of  ignorance  or  accident,  its 
children  will  become  the  foundation  of  a  new  race. 
There  will  be  no  killing  of  babies  in  the  womb  by 
abortion,  nor  through  neglect  in  foundling  homes, 
nor  will  there  be  infanticide.  Neither  will  children 
die  by  inches  in  mills  and  factories.  No  man  will 
dare  to  break  a  child's  life  upon  the  wheel  of  toil. 

Voluntary  motherhood  will  not  be  passive,  resigned 
or  weak.  Out  of  its  craving  will  come  forth  a  fierce- 
ness of  love  for  its  fruits  that  will  make  such  men 
as  remain  unawakened  stand  aghast  at  its  fury  when 
offended.  The  tigress  is  less  terrible  in  the  defense 
of  her  offspring  than  will  be  the  human  mother.  The 
daughters  of  such  women  will  not  be  given  over  to 
injustice  and  to  prostitution;  the  sons  will  not  perish 
in  industry  nor  upon  the  battlefield.  Nor  could  they 
meet  these  all  too  common  fates  if  an  undaunted 
motherhood  were  there  to  defend.  Childhood  and 
youth  will  be  too  valuable  in  the  eyes  of  society  to 
waste  them  in  the  murderous  mills  of  blind  greed  and 
hate.  .  .  . 

In  their  subjection  women  have  not  been  brave 
enough,  strong  enough,  pure  enough  to  bring  forth 
great  sons  and  daughters.  Abused  soil  brings  forth 


372  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

stunted  growths.  An  abused  motherhood  has  brought 
forth  a  low  order  of  humanity.  Great  beings  come 
forth  at  the  call  of  high  desire.  Peerless  mother- 
hood goes  out  in  love  and  passion  for  justice  to  all 
mankind.  It  brings  forth  fruits  after  its  own  kind. 
When  the  womb  becomes  fruitful  through  the  desire 
of  an  aspiring  love,  another  Newton  will  come  forth 
to  unlock  further  the  secrets  of  the  earth  and  the 
stars.  There  will  come  a  Plato  who  will  be  under- 
stood, a  Socrates  who  will  drink  no  hemlock,  and  a 
Jesus  who  will  not  die  upon  the  cross.  These  and 
the  race  that  is  to  be  in  America  await  upon  a 
motherhood  that  is  to  be  sacred  because  it  is  free. 


BIRTH  CONTROL 
By  Louis  I.  DUBLIN,  Ph.D. 

.  .  .  The  principle  behind  the  prohibition  of  birth 
control  instruction  is  that  contraceptive  methods  are 
destructive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  state  and  that 
they  are  immoral  in  effect,  because  detrimental  to  the 
individuals  who  practice  them.  The  state  looks  to 
its  own  perpetuation,  and  anything  which  endangers 
that  is  illegal.  Birth  control  implies  cohabitation 
divorced  from  procreation.  The  moral  sense  of  the 
community  looks  upon  this  as  unnatural ;  in  fact,  as 
a  grave  perversion  of  function,  and  therefore  to  be 
prevented.  The  law  stamps  the  disapproval  of  the 
community  upon  such  conduct.  Furthermore,  it  is 
assumed  that  the  law  acts  as  a  restraint  upon  the 
appetites  of  persons,  especially  the  unmarried  who 
might  otherwise  gratify  their  desires  to  their  own 
and  the  community's  detriment.  Such  a  deterrent 
safeguards  the  integrity  of  the  family,  upon  which 
the  welfare  of  the  state  depends. 

I  believe  that  I  have  stated  the  case  for  the  state 
without  bias.  On  the  other  hand,  it  should  be  frankly 
admitted  that  birth  control  is  now  very  widely  em- 
ployed and  by  all  classes  of  society.  The  well-to-do 
practice  it,  as  is  openly  admitted  by  almost  every 
one  and  as  is  eloquently  demonstrated  by  their  very 
low  birth  rate.  The  law  is  honored  more  in  the 

373 


374  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

breach  than  in  the  observance.  Some  doctors  do  im- 
part such  information  in  spite  of  the  law  and  irre- 
spective of  the  social  consequences  of  such  instruc- 
tion. Other  physicians,  restrained  by  the  law,  may 
remain  silent  in  cases  where  in  their  judgment  it 
would  be  better  that  information  on  birth  control 
should  be  given  to  prevent  hardship  and  suffering. 
A  law  which  is  not  enforced  and  which  cannot  be 
enforced  is  of  little  service.  It  undermines  respect 
for  law  in  general. 

Nor  does  the  law,  as  we  now  have  it,  truly  repre- 
sent the  community  attitude  on  this  subject.  The 
law  is  entirely  negative.  It  is  not  a  positive  guide 
to  what  the  best  interests  of  the  community  require. 
I  believe,  therefore,  that  whatever  be  the  merits  of 
the  opposition  to  a  repeal  of  the  existing  statutes, 
all  might  well  agree  to  an  amendment  which  would 
permit  properly  qualified  physicians  to  impart  in- 
formation to  married  people  in  such  cases  where,  in 
their  judgment,  the  interests  of  society  would  not 
suffer  from  this  instruction.  Little,  if  anything, 
would  be  lost  to  the  community,  and  with  the  legal 
restriction  out  of  the  way,  we  would  be  in  a  better 
position  to  consider  the  questions  of  population  and 
of  parenthood  in  a  constructive  and  sober  manner 
in  order  to  develop  a  public  point  of  view. 

BIETH  CONTROL  AND  THE  POPULATION  PROBLEM 

The  birth  control  movement  assumes  that  the 
world  suffers  from  overpopulation  and  that  the  first 
thing  to  do  to  put  the  world  in  order  is  to  decrease 
the  birth  rate.  This  is  implied  in  everything  that 
has  been  written  by  the  advocates  of  birth  control. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  375 

The  birth  rate  is,  after  all,  a  relative  value,  and 
whether  it  is  high  or  low  depends  upon  a  standard. 
A  good  fixed  point  for  our  discussion  is  such  a  birth 
rate  as  will  maintain  the  population  at  a  fixed  level ; 
that  is,  neither  increase  it  nor  decrease  it  in  the 
course  of  a  generation.  In  a  previous  technical 
study  of  this  question  I  have  shown  that  under  pres- 
ent conditions  of  the  death  rate  it  requires  an  average 
of  close  to  four  children  per  family  to  keep  the  popu- 
lation stationary.  Two  children  reaching  maturity 
are  required  to  replace  their  parents,  and  because 
of  the  high  mortality  in  infancy  and  early  childhood 
and  because  so  many  people  do  not  marry,  it  requires 
an  average  of  nearly  four  children  per  completed 
family  to  maTce  a  new  generation  as  large  as  the  old. 
An  average  of  one,  two  or  even  three  children  per 
family,  therefore,  means  a  loss  in  population;  an 
average  of  five  or  six  children  means  an  increase  in 
the  population. 

I  wonder  whether  you  realize  what  the  true  facts 
of  the  birth  rate  are  in  the  United  States  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  or  what  they  have  been  in  the  last  ten 
years?  Do  you  know  that  the  birth  rate  in  the 
United  States  is  this  year  about  what  it  was  in 
France  before  the  war?  The  birth  rate  in  New 
York  is  around  20  per  1,000  of  population.  This 
represents  a  drop  of  about  20  per  cent  in  four  or 
five  years.  The  rate  has  been  declining  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  never  so  rapidly  as  it  has  recently. 
We  have  now  reached  the  point  where  one  baby  is 
born  each  year  to  every  tenth  family.  Does  this 
strike  you  as  an  excessive  birth  rate?  Do  we  need 
more  birth  control?  How  many  people  in  this  room 


376  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

have  families  of  four  children?  How  many  families 
do  you  know  where  there  are  four  children?  It  is 
one  of  the  most  striking  facts  in  our  social  life  that 
the  persons  upon  whom  the  public  opinion  and  con- 
structive effort  of  our  country  depend  are  raising 
families  of  less  than  four  children.  Special  studies 
which  have  been  made  among  many  groups  of  per- 
sons such  as  college  professors,  teachers  in  schools, 
business  people  of  good  position,  and  among  large 
groups  of  the  native-born  of  native  parentage,  dem- 
onstrate an  extraordinarily  low  average  number  of 
children  per  completed  family.  There  is  only  one 
conclusion  to  be  drawn :  these  groups  are  not  repro- 
ducing themselves.  These  people  and  stocks  are 
quickly  dying  out  and  their  place  is  being  taken  by 
a  new  generation  who  are  the  offspring  of  our  fertile 
immigrants.  .  .  . 

BIRTH   CONTROL  AND   THE   PROBLEM   OF   POVERTY 

If  there  is  poverty  and  misery  in  the  world,  and 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  it,  the  way  to  attack  poverty 
and  misery  is  not  by  destroying  mankind  and  its 
civilization.  There  are  better  and  more  direct  ways. 
Poverty  may  be  reduced  by  destroying  exploitation 
of  man  by  man,  and  we  are  destroying  it  slowly  but 
surely.  Poverty  may  be  destroyed  by  training  people 
to  be  more  productive  in  industry,  by  developing 
their  skill  and  character,  and  by  making  them  more 
ambitious  for  attainment,  and  we  are  learning  all  the 
time  to  do  that  better.  Poverty  may  be  reduced  by 
checking  the  birth  of  incompetents,  of  degenerates, 
of  defectives,  through  segregation  and  control  of 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  877 

the  prospective  parents  of  such  offspring.  Birth 
control,  through  the  spread  of  contraceptive  knowl- 
edge, will  hardly  help  in  such  cases.  It  will  require 
recognition  of  the  undesirable  stocks,  their  forcible 
detention,  and  sex  segregation  by  the  state  to  accom- 
plish this  result.  The  poverty  and  misery  which  we 
see  about  us  is  largely  the  result  of  maladjustment 
in  a  highly  complex  society.  The  proper  answer  is 
not  to  reduce  the  number  of  people  indiscriminately 
and  to  quiet  discontent  with  a  false  sense  of  security. 
Much  more  will  be  accomplished  by  directing  an 
attack  on  poverty,  first  by  impartially  determining, 
then  by  checking,  its  true  causes.  Healthy  men  al- 
ways produce  more  wealth  than  they  consume.  The 
wealth  of  the  world,  in  fact,  is  cumulative.  We  have 
not  only  our  own  production,  but  all  that  which  has 
gone  before.  Each  new  generation  can,  therefore, 
be  more  numerous  than  its  predecessor.  We  are  far 
from  having  reached  our  limit.  To  admit  that  we 
have  is  to  put  ourselves  down  as  exhausted,  as  played 
out.  No,  birth  reduction  is  no  cure  for  poverty.  It 
would  stop  our  constructive  effort  at  removing  the 
causes  of  poverty  and  we  would  end  by  adding  to  our 
poverty  of  things  the  much  worse  poverty  of  spirit. 

BIRTH    CONTROL   AND   VENEREAL   DISEASES 

Another  claim  of  the  advocates  of  birth  control, 
to  which  we  have  already  referred,  is  that  a  wider 
use  of  contraceptives  would  result  in  a  reduction  of 
immorality  and  of  venereal  disease.  It  is  difficult  to 
see  how  they  come  to  such  a  conclusion.  Now  and 
then  we  find  some  of  their  more  cautious  supporters 


378  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

distinctly  worried  over  the  possibilities  that  are  in- 
volved in  the  more  general  practice  of  their  propa- 
ganda. They  seem  to  realize  that  there  will  be  a 
great  temptation  thrown  in  the  path  of  young  people 
to  which  many  will  succumb.  At  the  present  time 
there  is  at  least  the  deterrent  of  the  natural  conse- 
quences of  their  act.  With  birth  control  knowledge 
universal,  that  deterrent  is  removed  and  promiscuity 
may  become  much  more  general  because  much 
safer.  .  .  . 

...  I  can  see  no  escape  in  any  reasonable  social 
philosophy  from  the  conclusion  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
individuals  hi  a  society  to  preserve,  improve  and  per- 
petuate it.  Society  cannot  sanely  discuss  its  own 
dissolution  any  more  than  an  individual  can  sanely 
determine  his  own  destruction.  It  must  continue  and 
grow  richer  in  content  of  lives  and  of  tradition. 
Tradition  is  an  epitome  of  all  that  has  gone  before; 
lives  carry  our  tradition  forward  into  the  future ;  to- 
gether they  make  up  the  stream  of  civilization. 
Whatever  interferes  with  this  stream  or  blocks  its 
course  is  antisocial  and  must  be  checked.  This  is 
axiomatic.  To  deny  this  is  to  remove  all  purpose 
and  rationality  from  existence.  If  the  perpetuation 
and  enrichment  of  civilization  is  not  the  aim  of  our 
existence,  then  there  can  be  no  worthy  aim  and  the 
sooner  we  stop  the  grim  comedy  the  better. 

In  line  with  this  thought,  I  would  make  a  number 
of  suggestions  toward  building  up  a  positive  and 
constructive  social  program  on  the  population  ques- 
tion. 

In  the  first  place,  the  state  must  radically  revise 
the  education  of  both  its  boys  and  its  girls.  Our 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  379 

system  of  education  must  inculcate  national  ideals. 
It  is  not  enough  for  education  to  insure  efficiency; 
we  must  also  develop  enthusiasms  for  the  common 
good.  Our  young  men  and  women  must  be  taught 
to  realize  early  that  we  do  not  live  for  ourselves 
alone.  The  education  of  our  women  is  especially 
faulty  in  this  regard.  Our  schools  and  colleges  with 
few  exceptions  direct  the  thoughts  and  energies  of 
our  girls  away  from  normal  home  life.  Our  girls 
graduate  from  school  and  college  often  without  any 
instruction  in  what  will  prepare  them  to  be  good 
mothers  and  wives.  The  old  virtues  of  womanhood 
need  restatement  to-day;  for  whatever  else  women 
learn  in  the  school,  they  must  be  educated  for  their 
place  as  mothers.  A  democratic  education  must 
make  sufficient  provision  for  this  primary  function. 

The  state  must  also  put  a  premium  upon  child- 
bearing.  The  bearing  and  rearing  of  children  is 
costly,  both  in  energy  and  in  funds,  and  acts  as  a 
check  on  personal  ambition  and  on  the  enjoyment 
of  the  freedom  and  pleasures  of  social  life.  Success 
as  a  mother  is,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  at  the 
expense  of  achievement  in  other  fields.  The  state 
should  reward,  either  substantially  or  with  esteem, 
the  women  who  are  willing  to  bring  up  families  of 
normal  size.  It  may  be  found  expedient  to  encourage 
parenthood  by  fixing  exemption  from  taxes,  munici- 
pal, state  and  federal,  on  the  basis  of  the  size  of  the 
family.  This  principle  has  already  been  acknowl- 
edged in  our  federal  tax  system.  It  needs  to  be 
largely  extended  and  coupled  with  much  heavier  rates 
of  taxation  for  the  unmarried.  .  .  . 

In  conclusion,  let  me  emphasize  the  need  for  birth 


380  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

release  among  the  healthy  and  normal  people  of  our 
country  as  a  primary  national  duty.  Such  release 
must  be  conscious  and  deliberate,  the  act  of  will  of 
free  individuals  who  thus  express  a  highly  moral 
purpose. 


BIRTH  CONTROL  IN  ITS  MEDICAL,  SOCIAL, 
ECONOMIC  AND  MORAL  ASPECTS 

By  S.  ADOLPHUS  KNOPF,  M.D. 

.  .  .  No  one  will  deny  that  we  occasionally  come 
across  a  family,  well  to  do  and  intelligent,  where 
the  parents  by  reason  of  unusual  vigor,  and  partic- 
ularly by  reason  of  the  physical  strength  of  the 
mother,  have  been  able  to  rear  a  large  number  of 
children.  In  some  instances  all  have  survived  and 
have  grown  up  to  be  healthy  and  vigorous,  but  these 
instances  are  rare  and  are  becoming  more  and  more 
so  every  day.  On  the  other  hand,  large  families — 
that  is  to  say,  numerous  children  as  the  issue  of  one 
couple — among  the  ignorant,  the  poor,  the  underfed 
and  badly  housed,  the  tuberculous,  the  degenerate, 
the  alcoholic,  the  vicious,  and  even  the  mentally  de- 
fective, is  an  every-day  spectacle.  It  is  well  known 
to  every  general  practitioner  whose  field  of  activity 
lies  among  the  poor  and  the  above-mentioned  classes, 
that  the  infant  mortality  among  these  is  great.  The 
same  holds  true  of  the  mortality  of  school  children 
coming  from  large  families  among  these  classes  of 
the  population. 

Concerning  tuberculosis,  with  which,  by  reason  of 
many  years'  experience,  I  am  perhaps  more  familiar 
than  with  other  medical  and  social  diseases,  let  me 

relate  the  interesting  fact  that  a  carefully   taken 

381 


382  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

history  of  many,  many  cases  has  revealed  to  me  that 
with  surprising  regularity  the  tuberculous  individual, 
when  he  or  she  comes  from  a  large  family,  is  one  of 
the  later  born  children — fifth,  sixth,  or  seventh  or 
eighth.  The  explanation  for  this  phenomenon  is 
obvious.  When  parents  are  older,  and  particularly 
when  the  mother  is  worn  out  by  frequent  pregnancies 
and  often  weakened  because  obliged  to  work  in  fac- 
tory or  workshop  up  to  the  very  day  of  confinement, 
the  child  will  come  into  the  world  with  lessened  vital- 
ity, its  main  inheritance  being  a  physiological  pov- 
erty. This  systemic  poverty  will  leave  it  less  resist- 
ant, not  only  to  tuberculosis  but  to  all  other  disease 
of  infancy  and  childhood  as  well.  (Read  chapter 
"Tuberculosis." — Author. ) 

What  is  the  result  of  this  condition  in  relation  to 
tuberculosis — one  single  disease?  Out  of  200,000 
individuals  who  die  annually  of  tuberculosis  in  the 
United  States,  50,000  are  children.  Of  the  economic 
loss  resulting  from  these  early  deaths  I  will  speak 
later  on,  but  in  continuing  along  the  medical  and 
sanitary  lines  of  my  subject  I  must  call  your  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  according  to  some  authors  65 
per  cent  of  women  afflicted  with  tuberculosis,  even 
afflicted  only  in  the  relatively  early  and  curable 
stages,  die  as  a  result  of  pregnancy  which  could  have 
been  avoided  and  their  lives  been  saved  had  they 
known  the  means  of  prevention.  .  .  . 

The  economic  loss  to  our  commonwealth  from 
bringing  into  this  world  thousands  of  children  men- 
tally and  physically  crippled  for  life  is  beyond  cal- 
culation. But  considering  tuberculosis  we  have  been 
able  to  calculate  at  least  approximately  what  it 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  383 

costs.  I  stated  above  that  50,000  children  die  an- 
nually from  tuberculosis  in  the  United  States.  Fig- 
uring the  average  length  of  life  of  these  children  to 
be  seven  and  one-half  years  and  their  cost  to  the 
community  as  only  $200  per  annum,  represents  a  loss 
of  $75,000,000.  Such  children  have  died  without 
having  been  able  to  give  any  return  to  their  parents 
or  to  the  community.  Who  will  dare  to  calculate  in 
dollars  and  cents  the  loss  which  has  accrued  to  the 
community  because  so  many  mothers  died  of  tuber- 
culosis when  an  avoidable  pregnancy  was  added  to  a 
slight  tuberculous  ailment  in  a  curable  stage?  Who 
will  dare  to  estimate  the  cost  of  the  loss  of  an  equally 
large  or  perhaps  larger  number  of  mothers  afflicted 
with  serious  cardiac  or  renal  diseases,  or  frail  or  ill 
from  other  causes,  whose  lives  could  have  been  pro- 
longed had  an  additional  pregnancy  not  aggravated 
their  conditions? 

Next  to  the  medical  and  sanitary  comes  the  physi- 
ological aspect  of  birth  control,  which  can  be  sum- 
marized in  a  few  sentences.  The  average  mother 
with  two,  three  or  four  children,  not  having  arrived 
in  too  rapid  succession,  say,  with  two  or  three  years 
intervening,  is  physiologically — that  is  to  say,  physi- 
cally and  mentally — stronger  and  better  equipped  to 
cope  with  life's  problems  than  the  wornout  and  weak- 
ened mother  whose  life  is  shortened  by  frequent  and 
numerous  pregnancies. 

What  is  the  physiological  effect  of  voluntary  arti- 
ficial restrictions  of  the  birth  rate?  In  Holland, 
where  the  medical  and  legal  professions  have  openly 
approved  and  helped  to  extend  artificial  restriction 
of  the  birth  rate,  the  health  of  the  people  at  large, 


884  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

as  shown  by  its  general  death  rate,  has  improved 
faster  than  in  any  other  country  in  the  world.  At 
the  recent  Eugenics  Congress  it  was  stated  that  the 
stature  of  the  Dutch  people  was  increasing  more 
rapidly  than  that  of  any  other  country — the  increase 
no  less  than  four  inches  within  the  last  fifty  years. 
According  to  the  Official  Statistical  Year  Book  of 
the  Netherlands,  the  proportion  of  young  men  drawn 
for  the  army  over  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height  has 
increased  from  2^/2  to  47^  per  cent  since  1865, 
while  the  proportion  below  5  feet  2^  inches  in  height 
has  fallen  from  25  per  cent  to  under  8  per  cent. 

In  Australia  and  New  Zealand  the  means  of  arti- 
ficial restriction  are  in  free  circulation  and  the  re- 
striction of  families  is  almost  universal.  Yet  these 
two  English  colonies  have  furnished  to  their  mother 
country  in  these  hours  of  struggle  the  most  efficient 
and  physically  and  mentally  best  equipped  regiments. 
The  soldiers  of  Australia  and  New  Zealand  have 
shown  themselves  brave  and  fearless  fighters  and 
certainly  equal,  if  not  superior,  as  far  as  physical 
endurance  is  concerned,  to  their  English  brethren. 
In  the  latter  country  it  is  well  known  that  birth  con- 
trol is  frowned  upon  by  the  legal  and  nearly  all  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities.  ... 

.  .  .  The  larger  the  family  of  the  poor,  the  more 
child  labor,  the  more  there  is  disruption  and  irreg- 
ularity, and  the  more  frequently  one  finds  a  lower 
standard  of  life  and  morals  in  general.  The  records 
of  our  charities  and  benevolent  societies  amply  prove 
that  as  a  rule  the  larger  the  families  are  that  apply 
for  relief  the  greater  is  their  distress. 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  385 

That  judicious  birth  control  does  not  mean  race 
suicide,  but  on  the  contrary  race  preservation,  may 
best  be  shown  from  the  reports  from  Holland.  The 
average  birth  rate  in  the  three  principal  cities  of 
Holland  was  37.7  per  1,000  in  1881,  when  birth  con- 
trol clinics  were  started.  In  1912  it  had  fallen  to 
25.3  per  1,000.  The  general  death  rate,  however, 
had  dropped  in  the  same  period  from  24.2  to  11.1 
per  1,000,  or  to  less  than  half,  while  the  two-thirds 
reduction  in  the  mortality  of  children  under  one  year 
of  age — from  209  to  70  per  1,000  living  births — is 
even  more  significant.  .  .  . 

And  now  I  approach  the  last  and  most  important 
phase  of  my  subject,  namely,  the  moral. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  of  practice  among  the 
tuberculous,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  in  palatial 
homes,  humble  cottages,  dark  and  dreary  tenements, 
and  in  overcrowded  hospitals,  has  shown  me  enough 
to  bring  to  my  mind  the  utter  immorality  of  thought- 
less procreation  and  my  experience  has  been  limited 
to  this  one  disease  of  the  masses.  The  tears  and 
sufferings  I  have  witnessed  when  I  have  had  to  decline 
help  because  it  was  too  late  to  prevent  the  despair  of 
the  poor,  frail  mother  at  the  prospect  of  another  in- 
evitable confinement,  and  later  the  sight  of  a  puny 
babe  destined  to  disease,  poverty  and  misery,  has 
made  me  take  the  stand  I  am  taking  to-day.  I  am 
doing  it  after  profound  reflection,  and  I  am  fully 
aware  of  the  opposition  I  am  bound  to  meet. 

There  are  hundreds  of  young  men  and  women, 
physically  and  morally  strong,  who  gladly  would 
enter  wedlock  if  they  knew  that  they  could  restrict 


386  TIMELY  TRUTHS 

their  family  to  such  an  extent  as  to  raise  a  few  chil- 
dren well.  But  their  fear  of  a  large  family  retards, 
if  it  does  not  prevent,  their  happiness  and  the  pro- 
creation of  a  better  and  stronger  manhood  and 
womanhood.  The  woman  withers  away  in  sorrowful 
maidenhood  and  the  man  whose  sexual  instincts  are 
often  so  strong  that  he  cannot  refrain,  seeks  relief 
in  association  with  the  unfortunate  and  often  dis- 
eased sisters,  called  prostitutes.  The  result  is  a 
propagation  of  venereal  diseases  with  all  its  dire 
consequences. 

At  times  disease  does  not  enter  as  a  factor  in  the 
tragedy,  but  the  result  is  a  girl  mother,  a  blasted 
life,  for  our  double  standard  of  morality  recognizes 
the  "sin"  only  in  our  sisters,  not  in  ourselves.  Of 
her  compassionate  tongues  only  say  she  loved  not 
wisely  but  too  well;  of  him  nothing  is  said  at  all. 
He  is  spotless  and  virtuous  in  the  eyes  of  the  world 
and  can  go  through  life  as  if  he  had  never  sinned  and 
been  responsible  for  a  blasted  life  or  two.  .  .  . 

The  critics  of  birth  control  maintain  that  with  the 
knowledge  of  birth  limitation  many  women,  whether 
poor  or  rich,  who  should  and  can  bear  children  will 
shirk  the  duties  of  motherhood.  This  I  do  not  be- 
lieve to  be  true.  You  can  no  more  prevent  the  desire 
for  motherhood  in  the  normal  healthy  woman  than 
you  can  stem  the  tide  of  the  ocean.  It  is  inherent 
in  every  woman's  heart.  With  more  marriages  of 
young  people  and  a  rational  birth  control,  I  do  be- 
lieve there  will  not  be  fewer  children  but  the  same 
number  of  better  ones.  There  will  be,  of  course,  in- 
stances— and  there  are  too  many  in  certain  classes 
of  society  now — where  for  purely  selfish  reasons  the 


ON  HUMAN  HEALTH  387 

marriage  remains  barren,  but  it  is  a  question  in  my 
mind  whether  it  would  be  really  desirable  for  society 
to  have  such  women  be  mothers. 

Finally,  I  must  mention  the  almost  pathetic  criti- 
cisms of  some  of  my  colleagues  who  wrote  me,  in 
answer  to  my  request  for  an  expression  of  opinion, 
that  the  matter  of  birth  control  was  a  question  not 
for  the  medical  profession,  but  for  the  laity.  To 
such  I  can  only  express  my  regret  at  their  attitude. 
The  physician  of  the  twentieth  century  who  deals 
only  with  the  purely  medical  and  curative  part  of 
his  profession,  who  is  indifferent  to  measures  to  pre- 
vent disease,  and  cannot  feel  with  the  social  suffer- 
ings of  the  masses,  is  lacking  in  the  highest  ideals  of 
his  calling  and  misses  the  greatest  opportunity  of 
benefiting  suffering  mankind.  .  .  . 

I  believe  in  birth  control,  that  is  to  say,  birth  lim- 
itation, based  on  medical,  sanitary,  highest  ethical, 
moral  and  economic  reasons.  I  believe  in  it  because 
with  the  aid  of  it  man  and  woman  can  decide  when 
to  have  a  child,  work  and  prepare  for  its  arrival,  wel- 
come it  as  the  fulfillment  of  their  heart's  desire, 
watch  over  it,  tenderly  care  for  and  educate  it,  and 
raise  it  to  be  what  every  child  should  be  destined 
for — a  being  happy,  healthy,  strong  in  mind,  body 
and  soul. 


AUTHOR'S  COMMENT 

I.  Acting  in   the  capacity  of  "chairman  of  the 
meeting,"  we  are  entitled  only  to  the  "last  word." 
We  feel  that  our  duty  is  largely  done  when  both  sides 
of  the  controversy  are  presented  fairly  by  the  best 
experts  we  have  been  able  to  secure.     The  reader  is 
the  sole  judge  and  jury,  and,  of  course,  it  is  hoped 
that  he  will  ponder  over  the  essential  aspects  of  the 
case  in  a  logical,  tolerant  mood,  consulting  other 
works    on    the    subject    before    forming    a    mature 
opinion. 

II.  As  to  the  birth  control  problem  proper,  we 
may  briefly  say  this :    If  it  is  logical  and  physiologi- 
cally correct  not  to  eat  when  not  hungry;  not  to 
drink  when  not  thirsty ;  not  to  sleep  when  not  sleepy ; 
and  not  to  do  other  things  when  not  in  a  mood  to  do 
so  or  when  incapacitated  from  so  doing,  why  should 
a  woman  be  forced  to  have  more  children  than  she  is 
normally  capable  of  having  or  desires,  when  to  have 
them  "by  accident,"  perhaps  even  syphilitic  or  tuber- 
cular, may  cause  her  death  or  that  of  the  child,  or 
both,  at  the  time  of  birth  or  soon  after? 

Further,  why  not  have  such  good  economic  cir- 
cumstances and  healthy  environment  in  general  that 
people  will  be  encouraged  to  find  their  soulmates  (a 
rare  thing  these  days)  sooner  than  they  usually  do, 
marry  because  they  love  each  other  (no  other  mar- 
riage should  exist),  and  thus  be  happy  to  bring  into 

388 


TIMELY  TRUTHS  389 

existence  the  "fruits  of  love"  in  the  form  of  desired, 
healthy  babies?  Such  welcome  children  would  be  a 
crowning  glory  to  Society  that  made  them  possible, 
and  a  joy  as  well  as  incentive  for  the  parents  who 
acted  as  the  medium  through  which  nature  so  beauti- 
fully performed  her  function. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


2  6  1981 


Form  L-9-15m-2,'36 


*'  of  CALIFORNIA 

AT 

LOS  ANGELES 
LIBRARY 


776     Katzoff   - 


TIK 

77  C. 


